Platano Rolls

After picking up the monkey from preschool (not an actual monkey, but my four-year old), the three of us (including the moppet) headed out to the Latin markets downtown in search of platanos maduros (ripe plantains) and queso frito (actually called queso para freir or cheese for frying, a Nicaraguan staple). We lucked out on some perfect, ready to slice-and-fry platanos, but our search for queso frito found only a package of expired cheese. The monkey and I were rather disappointed, but we were still pretty hungry so home we headed where the real adventure began.

"Should we have platanos and avocado rolls for lunch?" I asked rhetorically, for I didn’t care what answer they gave. I was looking forward to it. Since I was a kid, I’ve been making avocado rolls with cooked corn tortillas, smashed avocado and salt and pepper. The kids sometimes enjoy them. They’re kids after all. The monkey said he didn’t like avocado rolls. "Really? Let’s just try it," I answered. "I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...please," he responded. I told him that we would try what I made and if he was still hungry, I would make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

While the platanos were cooking, the monkey asked if he could have a platano roll instead of the avocado. "You want the platanos wrapped in the tortilla?" I asked somewhat quizzically. It didn’t sound like the monkey who usually liked all his foods neatly separated from one another. But as I was arranging his roll (with avocado, mind you), I thought, well Cubans have platanos in their sandwiches, why not? So I tried it, too, but with mine I smashed the platanos along with the avocados. It was delicious. Sweet and savory and just enough flavor of home that I didn’t miss the queso frito. I raised a roll to the monkey at the table and toasted his concoction. The monkey loved it as well. The moppet picked her platano out and licked the avocado off her tortilla and asked for more platanos. "But you have some on your plate," I pointed out. "Dirty," she replied.

After lunch as I was washing the dishes feeling like a cool mom for 1) getting the kids to eat Nicaraguan style foods and 2) fostering the monkey’s creative juices, the monkey came up to me and asked if he could have his peanut butter and jelly sandwich now.