In Cuban cooking we have dishes for ANY stage of ripeness of a plantain, recipes for preparing green one's, yellow one's both solid yellow and with black spots, as well as the dead ripe one's.
The Plantains are just something to be loved :) The recipe I am posting is a very HOME-style dish that is very comforting and simple, I am sure many Cubans will recall some good ol' Platano Sancochado, these simple comfort foods are the stuff you'll probably never find at a Cuban restaurant but you will in people's home's, although not commonly but I'm sure once in a blue moon someone will get the craving for it (I haven't had Platano Sancochado in months!) If a Cuban doesn't like Plantains of any kind nor any type of Banana something is wrong with them... just saying... haha...
NOW READ THIS IS IMPORTANT BEFORE DOING THIS SIMPLE NO BRAINER RECIPE:
The boiled Plantain can be served several way's here are the following:
(1)Just boiled or steamed eaten plain straight with peel removed.
(2)Just peeled with some butter on top.
(3)Topped and smothered in garlicky pungent "Mojo de Ajo" (Cuban Garlic Lime Sauce)
Ingredients:
-Yellow Plantains (it's okay if they have a few black specks)
-waterDirections:
(1)Cut ends off plantain and throw away, now cut plantain LEAVING THE PEEL ON into thick rounds. Add plantains with water enough to cover about to submerge 3/4's of plantains and bring to a boil, cover and simmer on medium.
(2)The plantains will be done when they get SWOLLEN they will slightly outgrow their peel and some of the peels will pop open like a crack that opens. About 30 minutes. They should look like the picture below fat and swollen. Test with a knife if desired but the whole "plantains getting fat and poping the peel" trick always works to know it's very well done.
(3)Drain and eat plain or with butter or smothered with "Mojo de Ajo", this can be eaten as a side with any Cuban dish, typically rice, beans, meat (particularily the one's in tomato based sauces) and the boiled plantains on the side. Also makes a good snack with butter and a glass of milk :)
NOTE:
-I didn't give "proportions" because you can cook as many plantains as you want to eat and just use as much water as neseccary to boil pretty common sense ANYONE is capable of :)
P.S. I really love this simple dish especially with Mojo the plantains are so plump, starchy yet slightly sweet and with butter it feels so rich and comforting and also with pungent sour garlicky mojo it's just a unique contrast the pungent acidic sauce with the hot mildly sweet soft plantain I LOVE IT! By itself good to :)