Toschetta is a name that I created for this appetizer due to its similarity to the Italian version of Bruschetta. Toschetta consists of double fried green plantains (tostones) rubbed with a garlic-butter spread and topped with a Caribbean tomato mixture. Tos is the short version for tostones and chetta to give it an Italian spin since I am 10% Italian. The crunchiness of the fried plantains coupled with the colorful and savory flavors of the Caribbean tomato mixture makes this dish very appetizing.
One summer I had an abundance of tropical herbs and vegetables from my garden and came across a recipe for Bruschetta. I decided, therefore, to use the tropical herbs and vegetables from my garden for the tomato mixture. I also substituted the Italian bread with double fried green plantains (tostones) for the starchy content. This became a great and successful tropical appetizer for major events and family gatherings. This is not, however, a Puerto Rican dish in our culture. This is known as being creative in the kitchen with your produce!
Harvesting the Fresh Produce from Aida’s Garden!
This is Culantro (also known as Recao). Click on the link for more detail information on the tropical herb – Culantro.
I prefer plum tomatoes for this recipe. However, you can use the tomatoes of your choice.
These are our ajíes dulces (sweet peppers). Click on the link for more detail information on Sweet Peppers.
The yellow onions were harvested several weeks ago and set out to dry.
Rows of cilantro are always planted for various uses. By the way, the tall plants to the left are gandules (pigeon peas).
Roasting the Head of Garlic for Toschetta!
Remove any loose outer skin from the whole head of garlic. Slice off top of garlic head, exposing the cloves, with a knife.
Wrap the garlic head in aluminum foil and place on top of cookie sheet. Place in oven at 400°F and bake for 1 hour or until the garlic is very soft.
Remove roasted garlic from oven. You can tell the garlic is ready when you squeeze the garlic head and the garlic pulp starts to come out.
In a bowl, add 2 tablespoon of soft butter or margarine made with olive oil. With your hands, squeeze the pulp from the roasted garlic into the bowl.
Mix the garlic and butter until well blended and a garlic paste is formed. Set aside.
Shredding Edam Cheese for Toschetta Tomato Mixture!
The last ingredient is shredded Edam Cheese. Edam cheese is a Dutch cheese. It is the second most important cheese in the Neitherlands. Edam is semi hard with a fat content of 40%. It has a sweet nutty flavor. The exported version has a round shape and it is covered with a red wax casing.
Removing wrapping paper from cheese, make a small slit on top with knife. Lift the red wax casing and remove with your hands.
Once the red wax casing is removed, I cut the cheese in half.
With a flat grater, grate at least ¼ cup of Edam cheese.
Preparing the Caribbean Tomato Mixture!
We can now prepare the tropical tomato mixture. In a medium bowl, add the following ingredients: 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon adobo seasoning, ¼ cup chopped yellow onions, 3 sprigs of chopped cilantro and 3 small chopped culantro leaves.
If unable to purchase culantro (recao), then add 3 more sprigs of chopped cilantro. Cilantro and culantro are cousins with similar flavors while shaped differently. However, the culantro has a stronger flavor and aromatic scent.
Adobo is an all purpose seasoning that consists of salt, granulated garlic, oregano and turmeric as the ingredients. It can be purchased at most supermarkets. However, the adobo that I purchase is salt free.
Let’s continue by adding 3 to 4 medium size plum tomatoes cut into small cubes, and 3 chopped ajíes dulces (sweet peppers). You can substitute for sweet peppers with Cubanelle peppers. Click on this link for more information on ajies dulces – Sweet Peppers.
Lastly, add ¼ cup shredded Edam cheese.
Stir well to combine all the ingredients and set aside. For your information, you can also prepare this mixture in advance and place in the refrigerator to absorb all the flavors. Here is the Caribbean Tomato mixture prepared mainly with tropical herbs, vegetables and seasoning. It is definitely colorful and most of all delicious!
Frying the Tostones!
Since I prepare and vacuum seal my tostones (double fried green plantains) in advance, all I need is to remove the frozen tostones and fry them for the second time to crisp.
In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil to 365°F. Place the frozen tostones into skillet and fry until both sides have a crispy texture.
Turn the tostones to the other side to crisp.
After frying the tostones for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, they now have a crispy texture on both sides. Remove the tostones from skillet and place them on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Click on this link to learn How to Prepare Double Fried Green Plantains.
Assembling the Toschetta!
Before we can prepare this delicious appetizer, we need to add diced avocados (about ¼ cup) to the tropical tomato mixture. Mix all the ingredients.
Brush each tostón (double fried plantain) with garlic paste.
Generously spoon the tropical tomato mixture on top of each tostón (double fried plantain). Continue this process for the remaining tostones.
You can also serve this appetizer on a big platter and surprise your guests. They will definitely enjoy the different textures and flavors.
Click on the button below to watch my YouTube video on How to Make Toschetta!
Recipe and Nutritional Facts
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. Please refer to our Nutritional Facts Disclaimer for more information.
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Toschetta
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 1 Hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 30 Servings 1x
Description
An appetizer that consists of double fried green plantains (tostones) rubbed with a buttery garlic spread and topped with a tropical tomato mixture!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon adobo seasoning
- ¼ cup onions, chopped
- 3 sprigs cilantro, chopped
- 2 culantro leaves, chopped
- 4 large plum tomatoes, diced
- 3 sweet peppers (ajíes dulces) chopped
- ¼ cup avocado, chopped
- ¼ cup Edam Cheese, shredded
Garlic Spread:
- 1 whole head of garlic, roasted
- 2 tablespoons of soft butter or margarine made with olive oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, add soft butter and squeeze the roasted head of garlic to release the pulp into the soft butter.
- Stir well until a paste is formed and set aside.
- In a larger bowl, add the remaining ingredients. Stir until well blended.
- Brush the garlic paste on top of the double fried green plantains.
- Generously spoon (1 tablespoon) of the tropical tomato mixture on top of each double fried green plantains.
- Serve as an appetizers.
Notes
See food blogging post (recipe) for Double Fried Green Plantains (Tostones) for nutritional value and recipe instructions. Prep and Cooking time for this recipe does not include the additional preparation time (15 minutes) and cooking time (20 minutes) for the Double Fried Green Plantains (Tostones).
- Category: Appetizers
Keywords: Toschetta, Double Fried Green Plantains, Tostones
2 Comments. Leave new
This appetizer was the hit of my New Year’s Eve dinner party. It was soooo good! And the great thing is that you can do a lot of the prep ahead of time. I simply put the topping on the tostones once my guests arrived. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Hi Marisel, Thank you for sharing your pleasant experience with this recipe. Most of all, that your guests at your New Year’s Eve dinner party really enjoyed it. You are correct that this appetizer can be prepared in advance, reducing the preparation time. Have a Happy New Year!