Guess what? I had a canoe for dinner last night!
This is when you say in your head, “What? She had a canoe for dinner last night?” and I say, “Why yes! Yes I did!”
It’s not the kind of canoe your thinking of. You cannot sit in this canoe and float in the water. In fact if you eat enough of these canoes you will probably sink in water, but we won’t discuss that.
Do you remember the Pastelon post or what I called Puerto Rican Lasagna? This is basically an individual serving variation of that recipe. This is a great option, especially for 2 person homes. This way you can get the great taste without having a baking dish of leftovers in your fridge, it’s also a way to make it just a little fancy. Although I think that leftover pastelon is a good thing to have in the fridge.
These are called Canoas de Platanos Maduros meaning Sweet Plantain Canoes. Say “canoa” with me…. KA-NO-Aaa…..very good! Now you know how to say canoe in Spanish. This will come in handy when you rent that canoe while on vacation in PR.
We start with the filling. This is a basic recipe of “picadillo” which is used as a filling in many Puerto Rican dishes.
Combine, beef, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well. Heat a large skillet at medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil, add meat mixture. Cook beef until brown and the juices bubble up, add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside.
Peel four ripe plantains. You want to be yellow with black spots. The one is the back is REALLY ripe, which is ok because they firm up when you fry them. You just have to be extra careful when you peel it.
Heat a large frying pan or dutch oven with about 2 inches of vegetable oil, just enough to cover the plantains. Fry plantains for 8 – 10 minutes, or until golden and slightly crispy.
Drain on a plate lined with paper towel, set aside and let cool.
When the plantains are cool enough to handle, cut a slit down the inside curve of the plantain. Using your knife and a fork, gently pry the plantain open until it opens and resembles a canoe.
Fill the plantain with some shredded cheese, stuff with meat mixture and top with more shredded cheese.
Cheeeeeese!
Meeeeeeeat!
More cheeeeeeese!
Transfer the stuffed plantains to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Incredible awesome deliciousness in a canoe and they are so cute! The plantains get even sweeter when you fry them and the crispy caramelized edges are to die for! The savory meat filling is a great compliment to the sweet plantain. I promise you will love this one.
Serve these babies with a side of “arroz blanco y habichuelas guisadas” (white rice and beans in tomato sauce) and you will be a happy camper. You will probably have some “picadillo” left over. No worries you can have it with…..well a side of rice and beans or if you are feeling daring you can make some “alcapurrias” or some “pastelillos de carne”.
You can also just stand over the sink and eat it straight out of the pan…..no judging here.
Buen Provecho!
-Send Help I am Sinking
Canoas de Platanos Maduros (Sweet Plantain Canoes)
Ingredients
- Filling
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 onion,minced
- 3 gloves garlic, minced
- 1 green pepper, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp adobo
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 Tbs vinegar
- 1 envelope sazón
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 green stuffed olives, halved
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- Canoas
- 4 ripe plantains, peeled
- 1/2 cup white shredded cheese (like Monterey Jack or Swiss)
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine, beef, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar and sazon. Mix well.
- Heat a large skillet at medium-high heat with 2 Tbs of olive oil, add meat mixture.
- Cook beef until brown and of the juices bubble up, add bay leaves, olives, raisins and tomato sauce. Mix and let simmer for 10 minutes, set aside.
- Heat a large frying pan with about 2 inches of vegetable oil, just enough to cover the plantains. Fry plantains for 8 – 10 minutes or until golden and slitely crispy. Drain on a plate with paper towel, set aside.
- To assemble canoas: when the plantains are cool enough to handle, cut a slit down the inside curve of the plantain. Using your knife and a fork, gently pry the plantain open until it opens and resembles a canoe. Fill the plantain with some shredded cheese, stuff with meat mixture and top with more shredded cheese. Transfer the stuffed plantains to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Hi! Love your stuff ! I was wondering if it’s possible to skip the frying part completely and double bake ? I’m not the greatest fryer. Looks superb !
Omg this is delicious!! Thank you for this recipe, I made it tonight for the first time and it came out amazing. My husband was impressed. I’m going to cut the plantain into 3 pieces and stuff each one individually as appetizers for my next party
Should the plantain be firm after frying? I get it crispy but it’s super soft inside. Also I can only fry it a couple mins maybe 5 or I burn it, I keep lowering the temp but I never get anywhere near 8-10 mins. .. is that why it’s so soft inside?
The plantain should be caramelized on the outside. It will not be super firm. A ripe plantain is soft and was you cook it will get softer, like a banana does. Just fry it until browned and caramelized. Different kitchens & cookware can sometimes yield different cook times. What you want is a slightly crisped and caramelized exterior and and soft inside. If your plantain is so soft it fall apart it could be that you plantain is too ripe. Hope this helps! Good luck!
FYI, looks like your recipe was stolen here: http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/appetizer/cheese-appetizer/recipe-beef-filled-ripe-plantains-canoas.html
Mama, do u have the receipt for mofongo? The dish was delicious & I love how you explain everything so detailed
Yes! I have a mofongo recipe. It is featured on the side bar. You can also find it here at this link. http://thenoshery.com/2010/10/10/mofongo-con-sopa-de-mariscos-plantain-mash-and-seafood-soup/
I tried the Canoa for my kids…loved it …Thank u …
I’m going to try mofongo con camarones next…I’m for sure following you fab recipes
Graciás
acabo de almorzar la canoa me quedo riquisima la diferencia es que la hice con cornbeef
I grow up on these, And I finally got too make it for my boys, Their eyes popped out when they saw it but when they tasted it, Omg! they couldnt get enough. they are always asking for it. But had to hold back on the frying, so i just started to boil the bananas and got the same great taste and kids Enjoyed them the same.
Love your blog post, I’m always on the lookout for authentic puertorican recipes. Right now I’m on the lookout for a GOOD “pan soba’o” recipe. I’ve tried the few recipes I’ve found online, but the end product isn’t the chewy, soft, slightly sweet bread from PR.
Anywho… Baking the plantains for about 10-15 minutes on each side is also a good technique for golden canoas without the added negatives of deep frying in oil.
This was so GOOD! Thanks for the recipe.
One of my hubby’s favorite dishes! I made it for him tonight. I’ve made it a couple of times before but it was never quite right…now I see it was because I was boiling the plantain. Thanks! I opt to make a “lighter” version with ground turkey. For those of you who want to cut down on the calories and, as we say, “americanize” the dish…try serving it with a side of asparagus or a tomato basil salad. Yum!
I will make this tomorrow provided I can find platanos in the state required ( I now live in KS ). I love this dish! I used to eat this every day for lunch for a while when I lived in NY.
I have tried this with bacalao and it is perfection, the perfect combination of sweet and salty!
i will try this one soon im making lasagna recipe,today i love ricans food yummmmmm
Am I the only one that can NEVER find ripe plantains EVER?!? I mean not even close to ripe… I’d have to wait like a month for these things to soften up! AAAAHHH!!!!
I must compliment you on your presentation from one Latina to another, “las canoas se ven sabrosas” My daughter send me your link she loves your recipes.
This is one of my fav Puerto Rican dishes….so fast and easy and SO GOOD!!!! I’ve done it with other cheeses and meat variations as well and they’ve all been good too!!!
YUM! I must eat this as soon as humanely possible. =)
hahaha @ “Send Help I am Sinking” – this sounds perfect for me and Pookie – I’ll eat the canoes, he’ll have the meat. thanks, I cannot wait to try it!
Yum!! I love these.
Fried, sweet plantains are close to my favorite comfort foods of all time. It’s the one deep fried food that I never think twice about. I saved your recipe to try soon. Thanks for sharing!
I was looking for this recipe for days now , I finally found it ! I will be cooking this tomorrow…. mmm, smiles
My abosolute fav! Yummy!!! I’m gonna have to go buy some platanos maduros en la guaguita de viandas. [:
I loved plantain recipes but I have never seen this one, it is so elegant, and unique way to cook plantain! Looks so yummy! I am going to make it soon or make it your place soon! Yummy!
Ahh yes! I will try this recipe this weekend. I bookmarked the lasagna recipe, but never tried it. I was leery about using eggs. I couldn’t think of a lower fat substitute. This is a great alternative!
What an awesome recipe! I’ve never seen anything like it. Looks so delicious!
This sounds AMAZING!