9 minute read
IN THE KITCHEN
Out of the frying pan and onto the page.
LOCAL AP‘PEEL’
PEEL INTO PLANTAINS
When you’re craving a salty snack, plantain chips can hit the spot. And while there are plenty of readymade, brand name ones at your neighborhood supermarket, one local woman is making these wholesome treats on a smaller, but way more delicious, scale.
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If you’re from Peru or Ecuador, you probably know them as chifl es, or perhaps platanutres if you hail from Puerto Rico. And if you represent Cuba, they are mariquitas de plátano, or mariquitas for short.
At one time, plantain chips (as they’re called in the States) were only familiar to those from or with a connection to Latin, Caribbean, and African cultures. However, now they have reached worldwide commercial success, mainly because big name potato chip companies took this popular Afro-Caribbean and Latino snack and began mass-producing it for a cool profi t.
Nevertheless, if you’re a true lover of green plantain, nothing compares to the irresistible taste of a freshly fried and salted plantain chip. And more and more people locally and throughout Central Florida are discovering this gastronomic treat at the hands of Leesburg resident Ivis Osorio, co-owner of Tia Chips.
Ivis and her husband, Guido, started Tia Chips in 2008, but the initial idea came to Ivis in 2007 when her tía (aunt) came to visit from Miami and brought a bag of plantain chips.
“I was eating the chips and as I put one in my mouth, I thought, ‘Something is gonna happen with this chip,’” she says. “Then when the economy crashed in 2008, my husband lost his job in the furniture business, and I was working in real estate. We decided we needed to do something to make more money, so we went into catering.”
Being of Cuban descent, the Osorios specialize in Cuban cuisine. However, the moment that gave Ivis the push she needed to pursue making plantain chips for cash happened when a client requested Mexican food.
“He asked if I could make tortilla chips and salsa for an event. I told him I could make the Cuban equivalent, which is plantain chips and mojo sauce,” she says. “Needless to say, it was a hit and I remember telling my husband, ‘I think we got something here.’”
So with 12 bags of plantain chips, the couple took their product to the Leesburg Saturday Morning Market and completely sold out. To them it was a sure sign they, indeed, had something special. But to make Tia Chips a reality, the Osorios fi rst had to fi nd a commissary kitchen they could use to make their chips.
“I Googled ‘commissary kitchen’ and found the closest one was in Groveland. That’s how I meet Jackie Noble, who owns the kitchen,” she says. “I called her and she told me to come in. She’s taught me everything from insurances to placing nutrition labels on my bags. She has been a big help.”
With a kitchen secured, Ivis and Guido started small using green plantains from the grocery store and a mandoline to carve the chips thin. However, as Tia Chips grew, the need for more produce
and effi cient tools also grew. The Osorios graduated to using a foodservice distributor to buy plantains from Ecuador, which Ivis says are larger and easier to peel than plantains from other regions, and a kidney-shaped commercial slicer that helps their chips retain their signature leanness.
For a while, Ivis says she tried to balance her real estate career with selling the plantain chips, but after some colleagues tasted them and raved about how good they were, she decided it was time to give Tia Chips her full attention.
“Now this is all we do. Never in my life did I think I would be frying plantain chips for a living,” she says and smiles. “It’s a lot of work, but this is where I want to be.”
The Osorios work four days a week making 150 pounds of plantain chips each day. From start to fi nish, it takes eight hours to peel, slice, fry, drain, and bag 180 plantains. To ensure their freshness, they make them to order.
“We only use three ingredients: plantains, soybean oil, and fi ne sea salt. Ours aren’t packed full of preservatives like the ones you buy in the stores because we make them right before we go to the market,” says Ivis.
Tia Chips are wildly popular at several Central Florida farmers markets, including The Villages Farmers Market at Brownwood, Ocala Farm Market, and Orlando’s Farmers Market at Lake Eola. They are also available at various businesses such as Two Old Hags Wine Shoppe and Morning Glori Antique Mall in Leesburg, Jackie’s Restaurant and Catering in Groveland, The Meat House in Winter Park, and World of Beer in Lake Mary and Orlando. “Vendors usually gauge if it’s going to be a good day by how much I sell,” Ivis says. “They know if it’s a good day for me, it’s going to be a good day for them.”
On most farmers’ market days, Tia Chips sells out. The tagline appropriately says they are ‘more-ish.’
“My sister described the chips as moreish when she was eating them one day. We asked her what that meant and she said it means the chips make you want to eat more. Little did she know moreish was actually a word that means a food that has such a pleasant taste it makes you want more.”
But for people to want more, fi rst you have to make an appetizing chip, and the key to making a good plantain chip is using a fi rm green plantain. That’s when they’re most starchy and savory. However, as plantains ripen, they turn yellow and become sweeter.
“Some people like the chips a little sweeter so we’ll set those bags aside for regular customers we know will buy them at the different farmers markets,” says Ivis.
Now when it comes to eating plantain chips, devouring them straight out the bag is pretty common. However, Ivis says people don’t realize how versatile they are as an ingredient.
“They’re great as a breading. All you have to do is brush a bit of mayo and mustard on a piece of fi sh or a pork chop, put the crumbled plantain chips on top, and bake it. It’s delicious.”
Out of the frying pan and onto the page.
People also use crushed plantain chips in salads in place of croutons. Or you can eat them the Miami way: smothered in rich, garlicky mojo sauce.
“That’s our chips and salsa,” says Ivis.
Guido makes his own special mojo, which they sell under the “Tia” umbrella. “It’s my mother’s recipe, but with a few adjustments,” he explains.
The only way to truly describe the taste of mojo is pungent — but in a scrumptious way. Traditionally, it’s made using sour orange juice, which serves as the tart base. However, since sour oranges are hard to fi nd, most people mix equal parts of orange juice and lemon juice to create mojo’s notable tang. Couple that with a hefty amount of garlic and that’s what gives mojo its strong bite. It works great as a dipping sauce, marinade, or baste.
“My kids love wings, so I’ll take the mojo and blend it in a blender with chipotle peppers to make a marinade. Then I’ll marinate or baste the wings with the sauce,” Ivis says. “You can also toss pasta in the mojo or sprinkle it over bread with a bit of Parmesan cheese to make garlic bread. The possibilities are endless.”
Presently, Ivis and Guido make the mojo available on a limited basis. Nevertheless, Guido dreams of bottling his patented sauce for greater distribution. Ivis, on the other hand, explains when it comes to her Tia brand, she wants to continue to thrive, but still retain her small business identity.
“I take it day by day. I’d love to grow and take over Jackie’s kitchen, but I don’t want to be Frito-Lay. What I make are handmade, gourmet chips,” she says. “When I think of the future, I’m excited. I really believe in our product. What we do is a lot of work but fun.”
PLANTAIN-CRUSTED FISH
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs 1 cup fl our 1 pound fresh, white, fl aky fi sh fi llets, such as cod, tilapia, grouper, or halibut 1 bag of plantain chips Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon coconut oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. 2. Crush plantain chips in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle. Spread plantains out on a plate. 3. Season fi sh with salt and pepper. 4. In a large pan, preheat coconut oil on medium heat. 5. Dip fi sh fi llets in fl our. Then dip fi llets in egg and coat with crushed plantains. 6. Place the fi sh into the heated pan. Allow to cook until golden brown on one side for three to four minutes (depending on thickness). 7. Carefully fl ip fi sh and cook until golden brown on the other side for approximately two to four minutes. Check fi llets for doneness by breaking it apart in the middle. Fish should fl ake easily. 8. When done, remove fi llets from pan and serve with vegetables or a salad.
NOTE:
Plantain chips can also be used to make plantain-crusted pork chops, chicken cutlets, and other types of fi sh such as mahi mahi, Chilean sea bass, salmon, and red snapper.
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