There is nothing like our senses to bring back crystal clear memories. And for some reason, smell, sound, and taste seem to do the trick quite effectively! These three seem to trigger some sort of chemical (or so I think) reaction in our brains that brings back perfectly clear memories in a matter of seconds…just as if they had happened an instant ago. I love that! I love my senses. God forbid anyone EVER lose them.
It’s crazy the many things we have to be thankful for…starting with things as simple as having all five of our senses. So blessed! Why am I talking about senses? You’ll find out soon enough… During one of my fun little grocery shopping trips I found me some delicious Ecuadorian plantains. Oh, how we love our plantains back home (Ecuador)…especially the ones you can get at the coast.
I am from Quito, the capital, which is located in the Sierra (Andes, or highlands); it is four to five hours away from the coast. My family and I usually took at least 3 trips down there every year, each time going for one to two weeks. It really was great…every vacation being more wonderful than the last. What bliss to experience sunshine, the ocean, a warm breeze, sand between the toes, beach runs to clear the mind, relaxing and tanning by the pool, the amazing costal food, what paradise! On the trip over to the beach, we could always count on colorful fruit stands by the road, where we always stopped and filled up our car’s trunk with as many fruits and vegetables as we possibly could. Fishermen would sell fresh seafood by the beach. First thing every morning people in the area would walk to the fishermen’s stand to get their hands on some of the nicest looking crab, shrimp, lobster, octopus, and other various sea creatures.
It was truly, a foodie’s dream. I looked forward to every meal while at the beach…from the protein (eggs + bacon) and fruit filled breakfast, to every beach snack (plantains, ceviche, empanadas), to our 3pm late lunch (enter fish here!), to the local afternoon crapes, to late dinners (more fish!) before finally meeting with friends for a night out. My teenage years were wonderful. I miss them sometimes. They were so carefree and energetic! Ahhh.
Eating these homemade Patacones brought back great family beach vacation memories…thank you taste buds! It was a lot of fun preparing them and enjoying them alongside with my husband. He has been to Ecuador before, so he has tried our traditional Patacones. These, we both agreed, tasted just like them! Give them a try and have a little international taste in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Get the full recipe here!
Y-U-M! I need to make these STAT!!! I wonder where I can find them here!
Any plantain will do. Try Whole Foods Bon! Don’t forget to add sea sealt and squeeze some lime on top 😉
I am in love with plantain chips, so I must give these a try! I’m also thinking about doing a trip to Quito and the Galapagos!
Hi Jessica! I am right there with you…plantain chips are so good! I bet you would like these patacones. If you have any questions on the recipe, please do not hesitate to ask! You would love both Quito and the Galapagos Islands…they have so much to offer! I hope you get to go 🙂
I made these the other day and they were so fantastic 🙂 I served them with guacamole, scrambled eggs, tomato “salad”, and a simple beans/pace dish and my parents were so thrilled 🙂 I think these are going to become a regular meal in our household, for sure! Thanks for sharing!
These look great. Do you use super ripe (yellow and spotty) plantains or less ripe green ones for this?
I use less ripe plantains for this one (they dont have to be green though). The less ripe they are the better, since we dont want these to be sweet – when plantains ripen, they get sweeter.
These are amazing!!!!!
Glad you liked them, Melissa! 🙂 These are one of my faves for sure!
They’re Tostones!!! Love these my mom makes these all the time. They are so good with ceviche.