Dine on a Dime: Roger Mooking Cooking with Plantains

Every day is exotic with Roger Mooking! Having built a reputation of combining the art of global influence with exceptional culinary skills, Mooking is a world-class chef, recording artist and co-creator of the Cooking Channel's hit show Everyday Exotic. Every day is a new adventure and an opportunity to take, as Mooking calls an "obedient ingredient," and use it as the central theme to tell a culinary story throughout the broadcast. One particular "obedient ingredient" that stood out to me is that of the plantain and its many uses through the food world.

We have all seen it in the supermarket and wondered, "Why is that banana so huge? Why is not with all the others?" From first glance it looks like a banana in many ways but after carefully researching there are a number of differences between the two.  A much more firm meat and containing less sugar than a banana, it is extremely versatile and can be either fried (chips), steamed, baked, grilled or boiled.  Often a staple in dishes found in Trinidad & Tobago, Honduras, Jamaica and other West Indian countries, the plantain is known as the "dessert banana" though it is anything but that. In a more recent episode, Mooking, who is of West Indian lineage, chose to showcase the glory and versatility of the plantain along with a number of complimentary spices to create an easy and nutritious spin on the way you service chicken.

Trinidadian-Style Chicken
Ingredients
•Amise Marinade
•6 cloves garlic, chopped
•2 shallots, coarsely chopped
•Bunch green onions, trimmed and chopped
•Bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stems coarsely chopped
•1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Trinidadian-Style Chicken with Plantain
•1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
•1 cup sugar
•1/4 cup vegetable oil
•1/2 white onion, cut into small dice
•1 green chile, seeded and halved lengthwise, optional
•1 unripe plantain, halved lengthwise and chopped
•4 plum tomatoes, chopped
•1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
•1/2 cup chicken stock
•Kosher salt
•1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions
For the marinade: Place the garlic, shallots, onions, parsley, and vegetable oil in a food processor, and puree. Transfer the garlic mixture to a container, and set aside.

For the chicken: Put the chicken pieces in a bowl and add half of the Amise marinade, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for a maximum of 24 hours.

In a wide-based pan, heat the sugar and vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Swirl the glaze until the sugar caramelizes and browns, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. As soon as the sugar caramelizes, add the chicken pieces, in one layer skin-side down and brown the chicken on all sides, about approximately 5 minutes.

Add the onion, chile, plantain, tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan, and stir.
Pour in the chicken stock, and bring the ingredients to a boil. Add in the reserved marinade and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, and season the dish with salt, to taste.

Turn off the heat.

Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and garnish with the cilantro leaves just before serving.