Mofongo Stuffing Recipes

Steps:

• For the shrimp stew: Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and add to a bowl. Toss with the adobo, a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oregano, smoked paprika, olives and brine, cilantro, onion, red bell pepper and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in half of the beer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom, and cook down for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and the rest of the beer. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquids reduce by a third, about 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low and keep warm.
• For the mofongo: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add the corn oil. Heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees F or it bubbles when in contact with a wooden spoon.
• Add the plantains to the oil, lower the heat to low and fry, flipping halfway through, until light golden and cooked through but not yet crispy, about 15 minutes. Drain the plantains on paper towels and season with salt.
• Combine the olive oil and garlic in a mortar and pestle and process to form a paste. Season with about 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.
• Add 5 to 6 chunks of the fried plantains, 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture and about 2 tablespoons of the crushed pork rinds, if using, to the same mortar and pestle. Mix until well mashed and combined. Scoop out the mofongo with a spoon and use your hands to form the mixture into a bowl, creating a cradle for the shrimp stew. Repeat 3 additional times.
• For serving: Return the stew to medium-high heat and cook until it starts to simmer. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and lemon juice, then continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Plate the mofongo and spoon the shrimp stew into them.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cubanelle, ají dulce and ají caballero peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes and cilantro and cook 1 minute. Add 1 cup water and the butter and let mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Carefully transfer mixture to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
• Fill a large heavy-bottom pot with about 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil and set over medium-high heat. Working in batches, deep-fry plantains until tender, about 3 minutes per batch; drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Combine plantains, vegetable purée and pork rinds in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until combined but still chunky. Transfer to a small baking dish and bake until top is just starting to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Trim both ends of the plantains. Cut a slit through the skin down the length of the plantains. Cut each plantain in half crosswise and place in a bowl of cold water. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes (this will make the plantains easier to peel).
• While the plantains soak, make the sofrito: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the onion, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño, cubanelle peppers, and garlic. Pulse 15-20 times, until the vegetables are completely broken down and the sofrito has the consistency of chunky salsa. Set aside.
• In a large, high-walled skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350˚F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set nearby.
• After soaking, peel the plantains and cut into 1-1 ½-inch ( 2 ½ cm) pieces. Blot dry with paper towels.
• Working in batches, fry the plantains in the hot oil for 7 minutes, until crisp and beginning to brown. Transfer the plantains to the prepared baking sheet to drain.
• Working in batches, add 1-2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and about ½ teaspoon of salt to a large mortar. Using the pestle, mash the garlic until it breaks down into a paste. Add about 7-8 fried plantain pieces, then use the pestle to mash the plantains and combine with the garlic paste. Add about 1½ tablespoons of bacon, along with some of the reserved bacon grease, and mash into the plantains. 7. Add about ½ cup (15 G) of the chicharrones and break up until evenly distributed throughout the mofongo. Transfer the mofongo to a large bowl and repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190°C).
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the longaniza sausage to the hot pan and cook until the fat has rendered and the sausage is browned, 8-10 minutes.
• Add the cooked sausage, along with the rendered fat, sofrito, torn bread, and chicken stock to the bowl with the mofongo. Stir well to combine, making sure all of the bread is moistened.
• Transfer the mofongo stuffing to a lightly greased 9x13-inch (22 x 33 cm) baking dish and cover with foil.
• Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes.
• Remove the stuffing from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
• Top the stuffing with the remaining chicharrones and bake, uncovered for another 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and beginning to crisp.
• Remove the stuffing from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Heat the oil for frying to 375 degrees.
• While the oil is heating up, peel the green plantains and then cut them into 3/4 inch slices.
• Fry the slices in the hot oil for 3 minutes. They should be a light golden color and semi-soft.
• Remove the plantain slices with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Tip: Maintain the oil's temperature.
• When the plantain slices are cool enough to handle (about 1 minute), smash them into flat rounds.
• Fry the rounds in the hot oil for 3 minutes. They will turn crisp and golden brown.
• Remove the slices with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• In a mortar and pestle, mash together the bacon, garlic, peppers, onion and olive oil a little at a time until everything is incorporated.
• Add the broth. If the stuffing is not moist enough, add more broth until you get the consistency you prefer.
• Serve the stuffing as it is or stuff your turkey and follow cooking instructions on the turkey package.