Springtime Mofongo

Chef Louis Robinson

By Chef/Owner Louis Robinson of Spice in Sarasota, Florida. 
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 10 unripe plantains
  • 2 cow horn pepper
  • 24 pea tendrils
  • 3 cups fresh peas
  • 12-20 multi colored grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 2 small heads of Romanesco
  • 2 Meyer lemons
  • 2 cups orange juice
  • 20-24 large key west pink shrimp
  • 10 slices un-cured bacon
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • tt. Salt and pepper
  • Canola oil for frying
  • Watercress leaves for garnish
  • 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing.
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar

DIRECTIONS

  1.  Begin by bringing a pot of canola oil to frying temperature. Peel the plantains and cut them into chunks. Begin frying the plantains in batches until golden but not brown, and reserve on a paper towel lined dish. Cut the bacon into small chunks and mince the garlic. Fry the bacon in a frying pan until crispy, and add the garlic for the last 30 seconds of cooking. Combine the plantains, bacon and garlic in a motor and pestle and grind until smooth’ season with salt and pepper to taste
  2. Blanch your peas in boiling water for 1 minute. Strain and combine in a blender with the cow horn pepper, 10 pea tendrils, the juice and zest of the Meyer lemon, and olive oil. Blend until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste and strain.
  3. Blanch your romanesco in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes until cooked but still firm.
  4. Season your shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. Flash sear in a super hot pan for 1-2 minutes flipping often. Remove shrimp, add the orange juice and agave to the pan until it thickens to a syrup like consistency. Add the shrimp back to the pan and coat with the reduced orange juice.

TO ASSEMBLE

Form the mashed plantain mixture (known as Mofongo) into a ball about the size of a baseball and make a indentation in the top to put the shrimp in. Place the Mofongo in the center of the plate. Surround it with the pea/cow horn pepper purée, place pieces of the romanesco, halved multi colored tomatoes and watercress leaves around the plate on top of the pea purée. Top the Mofongo with 5-6 shrimp. Drizzle the dish with olive oil and garnish with the remaining pea tendrils.


Learn more about Chef Louis Robinson at his Chef’s Roll Profile HERE.