Serves ~4 Prep 5 min Cook 30 min Ready 35 min
Lately, I've been able to find amazing green plantains at the super market, so I decided to make Torta de Verde filled with cheese for lunch this week. I didn't really eat this specific recipe growing up a lot (we mostly ate Tigrillo), but Torta de Verde is one of the more popular and well known Ecuadorian dishes. It really can be eaten at any time of the day, and can have a variety of fillings, like ground beef or even peanut butter!
For this recipe, I used the same masa as the Empanadas de Verde recipe & over-stuffed them with Monterrey Jack cheese :)
Ingredients
Masa:
3 large green plantains (each plantain makes about 2 tortas)
3 tablespoons of salted butter (you can add a bit more if needed)
3 teaspoons of salt
Cheese filling
~1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Prep
Plantain Masa Prep:
1. First, prepare the plantains. Cut off both ends from each plantain and cut it in half. Then, cut about 3-4 slits with a pairing knife along the sides of the plantains.
2. In a pot add enough water to cover the plantains, along with 2 large pinches of salt. Boil the plantains until fork tender - about 20 mins. Remove the plantains from the pot and let cool enough to be able to remove the peels.
3. In a food processor, add the plantains, along with salt to taste (I add about one teaspoon per plantain, but you can add more if needed) and ~2 tablespoons of butter (depending on the sizes of the plantains). Blend until smooth and the mixture starts forming into a ball.
4. Remove the mixture from the processor and shape into small round balls; approx. a handful of masa per ball.
Empanada Prep:
1. Once the masa cools, by hand, flatten the masa until it's a thick round disc.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons/pinches of shredded cheese & close tightly using your thumb. Make sure it's completely sealed with no cheese sticking out.
3. Fry the torta in salted butter on medium heat for a 2-3 mins on each side - until browned.
ENJOY!