Cooking with Oswaldo

    I believe I have already expressed my initial regret at the differences between Ecuadorian food and Bolivian food; however, I am learning to enjoy Ecuadorian food and I am even learning to cook some. Our friend Oswaldo comes over every week or two and cooks with me. The first thing we made was fried Yucca which I missed from Bolivia. They eat yucca (manioc root) here in Ecuador which is an 18 inch long tuber that tastes somewhat like a potato. In the US we only use it to make tapioca pudding and root beer. Ecuadorians mostly boil it instead of frying it like they did in Bolivia. But no one in South America makes root beer out of it, which makes me sad. Since making fried yucca, Oswaldo has taught me to make yucca patties by boiling and mashing the yucca and filling it with cheese before frying it.

    The next starchy food we made was a stretch for me as Lisa and Scotty can attest. We fried bananas… And I liked it! I didn’t like fried bananas before this recipe. In fact I disliked them enough to have a shirt made while I lived in Bolivia proclaiming my love for yucca and my dislike of fried bananas. But even more miraculous than enjoying fried bananas, is that we melted cheese on the top of the fried bananas and I found that I liked the cheese!

     I have eaten cheese all three continents that I have visited and was surprised at how different it is from place to place. I am always tempted by South American cheese because I miss North American cheese so much, but after eating it I am usually disappointed. South American cheese reminds me of the type of product you would get in return from doing a deal with the devil. It looks good from a distance but the moment you get near enough to it, it smells rancid. I don’t think that my descriptions do it justice. You will have to come visit us to see what I mean.

     On the outside chance that you have access to South American cheese and green bananas, I have included recipes for my favorite two dishes prepared with them. If you can’t get South American cheese, mozzarella works as a tasty substitute (unfortunately Ecuadorian mozzarella doesn’t melt). Green bananas are known as plantains in the US and are available at many grocery stores and lots of specialty stores such as Valley Harvest or Trader Joes.

 

Répe (Potato and Banana soup with cheese)

2 green bananas

2 medium potatoes

2 cups of water

4 oz cheese

¼ cup fresh cilantro

Salt and Pepper

1 avocado

 

1. Peal, cube, and boil the potatoes.
2. Peal and cube the bananas and add them to the boiling water.
3. When the potatoes and bananas are soft, mash them into the water.
4. Grate the cheese into the soup and wait for it to melt.
5. Add the cilantro and turn the soup off.
6. Salt and Pepper to taste.
7. Top with slices of fresh avocado and cilantro.

 

As long as you are eating cooked bananas and rancid cheese, why not try making patacones (or majaditos as they are called in Panama)?

 

Patacones (Twice fried bananas toped with cheese)

2 green bananas

4 oz cheese

Salt

 

1. Peal and cut the bananas into 1 inch long sections.
2. Fry both ends of the banana chunks in a pan with vegetable oil.
3. Remove the bananas from the pan.
4. Salt the bananas on both ends.
5. Smash them flat using a mug.
6. Fry them again.
7. Top with cheese and cover pan until cheese melts.
8. Serve with Ketchup, Mayonnaise, or Hot sauce as you like.