Rosemary and Garlic Tostones with Lemon Aioli
A few years ago, Ivannoe and I went through a rosemary obsession. We were buying several bunches of it every week and putting it on almost everything! This recipe for rosemary and garlic tostones was born out of that. It was just after Thanksgiving when we had brined the turkey (back in the turkey eating days, ooops), we were making some tostones, or fried green plantains.
The curiosity set in, “hey, what would happen if we brined the tostones?” Long story short, it’s delcious! It’s obviously a little extra work and tostones are delicious all on their own. But, if you’re ever in the mood for tostones with a twist, this is definitely something you have to try!
We started by brining the peeled and sliced green plantains overnight in a rosemary, garlic, and salt water mixture. The plantains stayed prefectly crispy for the few hours they sat around afterwards! I think the brine makes that happen. Just a guess, but for those of us that eat tostones on the regular, you know you have a short window before they get soggy.
The next day, we took the plantains out of the water and patted them with a towel. We kept the rosemary and garlic that had been soaking and simmered in olive oil. Next, we fried the plantains as normal: fry, smash, fry. We finished off by tossing the plantains in a sprinkle of garlic and a little drizzle of the rosemary garlic oil. You can totally skip the brine and just toss in the oil if you are looking for different flavors and don’t want to wait!
At the end, we quickly whipped up a vegan lemon aioli to go along. Vegan mayo, garlic powder, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. This combination is amazing!
Let us know in the comments if you give it a try!
Rosemary Garlic Tostones with Lemon Garlic Aioli
A fun twist on the traditional tostones with a delicious aioli!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Latino Vegan
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 People
Ingredients
3 sprigs rosemary
6 cloves garlic smashed
4 green plantains
2 tbsp salt
Oil for frying we used canola
1/2 cup olive oil for the oil drizzle
For the Aioli
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup vegan mayo we used Follow Your Heart
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest we zested the half of the lemon we used for the juice
pinch salt
Instructions
If you are doing the brine, peel and slice your plantains into about 1 inch slices. Place them in a large bowl or tupperware and cover with water. Add the rosemary, smashed garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons of salt. Cover and let sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Take the plantains out of the water but keep the rosemary and garlic, pat dry. Place the rosemary and garlic in a sauce pan with the olive oil and let simmer (not fry, low heat, you just want to infuse the oil with the flavors). Simmer for about 15 minutes.
The plantains are twice fried. Fry the slices in canola oil until they are slightly golden, take them out of the oil and flatten them. You can use a presser or a glass with parchment paper. Fry again until perfectly golden and place them on a paper towel.
Once all of the plantains are done toss them with a slight drizzle of the rosemary garlic oil and a little salt. Just a little drizzle of oil because these are already fried and you don't want a complete grease ball!
For the aioli: combine the vegan mayo, garlic powder, lemon juice and zest in a small bowl. Taste and add salt if needed.
Enjoy!
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