From Episode 3 of Cafecito Conversations: The Art of the Autumn Kitchen.
This is the dish everyone asks about after dinner. I don't understand why we put bread with raisins inside a turkey, so I created my own stuffing, the Latina way: sweet plantains, chorizo, and garlic. I still have friends who call me up every single year — even though they make it every year — and ask, "Can you send me the recipe again, because everybody requests the stuffing?"
It's so simple and so delicious. Just fried sweet plantains mashed with garlic and chorizo, finished with turkey juice. And one rule: don't mash it like mashed potatoes. Keep the fuller chunks — that's what gives it texture.
Sweet Plantain Stuffing
Prep time: 30 minutes · Cook time: 20 minutes · Serves: 10–12 as a side
Ingredients
10 ripe plantains, sliced (you can find ripe plantains in the freezer section of your grocery store to save some time)
½ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup finely cubed Spanish chorizo
1 cup turkey juice (pan drippings)
1 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
Instructions
Fry the plantains. Fry the sliced plantains until the edges are crispy and the centers are soft. Set aside.
Infuse the oil. Add the olive oil to a deep bowl with the smashed garlic cloves and let it sit for 30 minutes or while you prepare and fry the plantains, so the oil gets infused.
Smash it together. Add the fried plantains and the chorizo to the garlic oil and smash with a mortar, working in batches. Don't mash it like mashed potatoes — keep fuller chunks so it has texture.
Finish with turkey juice. Before serving, add the turkey juice and mix well.
Swap: Instead of chorizo, use fried crispy pork or turkey bacon — crush it with your hands and mix it in after the plantains and garlic are smashed.
