Rellenitos de Plátano

Ingredients

• 5 very ripe plantains, skins mostly black
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp salt, for the cooking water
• 2 tbsp caster sugar, for the plantain dough
• 2 tbsp plain flour, if needed
• 300g cooked black beans, drained with 60ml liquid reserved
• 60g dark brown sugar
• 40g dark chocolate or Guatemalan tablet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt, for the beans
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the beans
• 500ml neutral oil, for frying
• 4 tbsp caster sugar, for rolling
• To serve: crema or a drizzle of honey

Before you cook

• Cut the unpeeled plantains into three chunks each, leaving the skins on.
• Drain the black beans and keep 60ml of their liquid.
• Chop the chocolate finely.
• Spread the rolling sugar out on a plate.

Steps

1. Put the plantain chunks into a saucepan with the cinnamon stick and one teaspoon of salt, and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for twenty-five minutes, until a knife slides through the flesh without resistance.
3. Drain the plantains and let them sit until they are cool enough to handle.
4. Slip the skins off, which should now come away with almost no effort, and discard them.
5. Mash the warm plantain flesh with two tablespoons of caster sugar until completely smooth.
6. Test the dough by rolling a small ball, and work in the flour a spoonful at a time if it is too wet to hold shape.
7. Cover the plantain dough and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
8. Set a frying pan over medium heat with one tablespoon of oil.
9. Add the drained black beans and mash them in the pan with a potato masher.
10. Stir in the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, cloves and a quarter teaspoon of salt.
11. Splash in the reserved bean liquid and cook for eight minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste is thick enough to pull away from the base of the pan.
12. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until it melts through.
13. Spread the bean paste on a plate and chill it for fifteen minutes, until firm enough to roll.
14. Roll the bean paste into twelve small balls.
15. Divide the plantain dough into twelve pieces and flatten each into a disc in your damp palm.
16. Set a bean ball in the centre of a disc and fold the plantain up and around it, sealing the seam completely.
17. Roll the parcel into a smooth oval between your palms, checking for any cracks that would let the filling escape.
18. Repeat with the rest, keeping the finished rellenitos on a tray.
19. Pour the frying oil into a deep pan to a depth of four centimetres and heat it to 175C.
20. Fry the rellenitos in batches of four for three minutes, turning them until evenly deep golden.
21. Lift them out onto kitchen paper and let them drain for one minute.
22. Roll each warm rellenito through the caster sugar until coated.
23. Serve warm, with a spoonful of crema or a drizzle of honey.