Fried Plantains, Filet Mignon Tacos & Margs

Ever since visiting Little Havana in Florida last month, I’ve been so obsessed with Cuban food.  So a few nights ago, I decided to recreate a fried plantains recipe (known as tostones in Cuba) and make up my own recipe for filet mignon tacos!  *Margaritas included.

Fried Plantains (Tostones Cubanos)

Let’s start with the plantains.  These are the easiest on the whole menu to make.  All you need is three very ripe plantains (the darker the plantain, the sweeter the flavor) and vegetable oil.  If you want to add some sweetness to the plantains, then you can drizzle some honey or cinnamon sugar on top.

First, you want to place the veggie oil into a deep skillet or pan over medium heat and let it heat up until it’s bubbling.

While you’re waiting for the oil to heat up, cut off the ends of the plantains, cut a slip down one end of the skin and remove the interior of the plantain from is skin.  Then cut the plantains into ~1 inch pieces.

Once the oil is fully heated and bubbling, gently place (don’t toss them in because the oil will splash back and BURN you – may have real life experience with this) the plantains into the boiling hot oil so that they are about 2/3 covered.  Casually toss the plantains around for about 5-7 minutes or until they are very golden brown.

Remove each plantain and place on a plate with paper towel.  Gently place another paper towel over the plantains to remove some of the oil from them.  Once they are warm to the touch, take some wax or parchment paper and place it over the plantains.  Then take the back of a spoon and crush the plantains –this will make them crispier when frying the second time.

Now, I chose to re-fry them one more time but this is optional technically (they taste better re-fried).  Take a skillet, lightly coat it in vegetable oil and fry each side for 1-2 minutes over low-medium heat.  Make sure you don’t burn the plantains!  If you’re smart and not dieting, throw some honey or cinnamon sugar on top of the fried plantains.

Filet Mignon Steak Tacos

Because I’m extra, I got filet mignon instead of the typical skirt or NY strip steak for my tacos.  They taste SO MUCH better with filet mignon and you barely have to take off any fat, so it’s a win-win situation.

Before grilling the steaks though, I prepped all my veggies.  I thickly sliced one red onion, cut 3 limes in half and threw those on the grill (limes flesh down) for about 10 minutes.  While they cooked, I (my brother lol) seasoned the steaks with Detroit Steak Seasoning.  We love this seasoning because it’s got a bit of a kick to it vs. just a plain salt/pepper combo.

Once the veggies (onions and limes) were done grilling, we put the steaks on the grill.

While the steaks were cooking, I prepped the other condiments.  My preferred taco combo is sour cream, tomatoes, onions and avocado, so I chopped up some tomatoes and avocado.  Thinly slice up the steaks once their done (if you enjoy your steaks any darker than medium, just stop reading this post now) and serve with soft flour shells and the veggies!

PS if you want to try the best sharp cheddar in the world for your tacos, get the Super Extra Sharp Cheddar from Sugarbush Farm in Vermont–I get my cheese shipped from there monthly.

Margaritas

And who can forget the MARGARITAS?  I had the best margarita of my life at Imperial the other day, so I wanted to recreate this delicious nectar at my own home.  Can you believe I didn’t like margaritas before having one at Imperial?

I made my own simple syrup instead of getting a store bought one.  It’s super easy – just heat up water and sugar over medium heat (1-1, so if you have one cup of sugar, use one cup of water) and mix it until the sugar is dissolved.

For the liquors, I went with 1800 Tequila silver and triple sec.  Since I didn’t have a cocktail shaker, I just used one of my Nalgenes.  Throw some ice in, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and simple syrup, shake it up and serve with a pretty margarita glass with a pretty paper straw, like I did.

If you want to go the extra mile and add some sugar-salt-lime rim to your glass, then take the zest of half a lime, mix some sugar and salt together, wet the top of your glass and dip it in.

Fried Plantains (Tostones Cubanos) 

Ingredients (2-4 Servings)

• 3 ripe plantains
• 2 cups vegetable oil + 1 tsp for frying
• Optional: honey and/or cinnamon sugar for flavor

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Place a few plantain slices in the oil, and cook until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining slices.
2. While the plantain slices are still warm, place them one at a time between two sheets of wax paper, and flatten by hand or back of spoon to 1/4 inch thick. Return flattened slices to the skillet, and continue frying until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and season with honey and/or cinnamon sugar.

*Modified from All Recipes

Filet Mignon Steak Tacos

Ingredients (2-4 servings)

• 2 6oz filet mignon steaks
• Detroit Steak Seasoning
• 1 avocado
• 1 red onion, 1/2″ slices
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 3 limes, halved
• 1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 4-6 flour tortillas

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium high heat.
2. Remove filet mignon from refrigerator ten minutes prior to grilling. Generously season with Detroit Steak Seasoning on both sides.
3. Place red onions slices and limes on grill. Grill limes for about 4-5 minutes, flesh side down. Grill onions for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from grill and let sit.
4. Place filet mignon on grill. Grill each side for 3-4 minutes for medium rare or 4-6 minutes for medium/medium well.
5. Remove from grill and let sit.
6. Place flour tortillas on grill and grill for 1 minute per side. Remove from grill.
7. Thinly slice filet mignon.
8. Assemble tacos: flour tortilla, steak, tomatoes, a couple slices of red onion, 1 tablespoon of sour cream, cheese, 1-2 slices of avocado. Squeeze grilled lime over tacos and serve!

*Modified from Joyful Healthy Eats

Margaritas

Ingredients (1-2 servings)

• Ice cubes
• 3 oz tequila (2 shot glasses)
• 2 oz freshly squeezed lime
• 2-3 oz simple syrup
• 1 tsp orange liqueur
• 2 tbsp Lime-salt-sugar

Directions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, Simple Syrup and orange liqueur.
2. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds.
3. Place Lime-salt-sugar on a plate. Press the rim of a chilled rocks or wine glass into the mixture to rim the edge.
4. Strain margarita into the glass.  Add straw and enjoy!

Simple Syrup Ingredients and Recipe

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. (Alternatively, heat in the microwave.) Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Lime-Salt-Sugar Ingredients and Recipe

• Zest of 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar

Blend together lime, salt and sugar.

*Modified from The Food Network

I hope you guys like these recipes!  I had such a fun time making it and eating it!

xoxo Kasia