Dominican Mangu with Eggs and Pickled Onion

Ingredients

• 4 green plantains
• 4 large eggs
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp butter or neutral oil, divided
• 4 oz frying cheese or queso de freir
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Peel the green plantains by cutting off the ends, scoring the skin lengthwise, and prising it away with your thumb or a knife; green skins will not simply pull off.
2. Cut them into chunks and boil in well-salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until completely tender and a knife slides through with no resistance.
3. While they cook, toss the sliced onion with the vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and leave to pickle, turning once. It should turn bright pink and soften.
4. Reserve 1 cup of the plantain cooking water before draining. This starchy water is what makes mangu smooth, and plain water or milk will not give the same texture.
5. Mash the hot plantains with 2 tablespoons of the butter and the garlic, adding the reserved cooking water a splash at a time.
6. Keep mashing and adding water until the mangu is completely smooth and soft enough to spread, with no lumps. Work fast while it is hot; cold plantain seizes up and cannot be smoothed out.
7. Fry the cheese in a dry nonstick pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden and crisp, then fry the eggs in the remaining butter.
8. Serve the mangu in mounds topped with the pickled onion and its liquid, the fried cheese, the eggs, the herbs, and lime wedges.

Allergen note: Contains egg and dairy.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.