CEVICHE TOSTONES

by Evan Rodriguez

This recipe was inspired by my mother. Ceviche and tostones are both common foods eaten in my culture. The combination of the acidic ceviche, the soft avocado, and the crispy tostone is perfect. Out of all the recipes in this magazine, you should make this one because everyone should experience the delicacy of this food from my culture.

Serves: 8 Estimated Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

40.5 ounces coconut milk

1 pound small shrimp, peeled and cleaned

2 cups fresh lime juice (from about 15 limes), divided

1 red onion, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1 orange, juiced

1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems minced

1 cup olive oil

4 teaspoons (4 packets) Sazón vegetable seasoning

Tabasco sauce, to taste

2 cups white wine vinegar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for finishing

3 green plantains

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 avocados, thinly sliced

Directions

Prepare the ceviche:

1. In a large saucepan, pour the coconut milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook for 3 minutes or until it turns a light pink.

3. Strain the shrimp and add to a large bowl with 1 1/3 cups of the lime juice, the red onion, tomatoes, scallions, orange juice, cilantro, olive oil, Sazón vegetable seasoning packets, and Tabasco, to taste. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tostones:

1. In a large bowl, combine the white wine vinegar, garlic, kosher salt, and the remaining 2/3 cup of lime juice. Set aside.

2. Cut the ends off of each plantain. Using the tip of the knife cut a slit lengthwise through the skin of the plantain. Be careful only to cut through the skin, as you don’t want to slice into the fruit portion. Using your fingers, pry open and peel off the tough outer skin and discard.

3. Cut the plantains flesh into 1-inch pieces.

4. Fill a large, high-sided skillet about a third full with vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat for a few minutes until hot.

5. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add the plantain slices to the oil. The oil should be just warm enough that it begins to lightly bubble shortly after adding the plantains, but should not bubble vigorously. Adjust heat as needed. Fry the plantains until softened and golden all over, about 4 minutes on each side. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

6. Using the bottom of a glass, a plate, or a can, gently flatten each fried plantain piece to about ¼-inch thick. Be careful not to press them too thin or the tostones will break apart.

7. One at a time, dip the flattened plantains in the garlic-lime and vinegar mixture. Let sit for about 10 seconds, then remove from the water and gently pat dry with paper towel. Repeat with remaining fried plantains.

8. Increase the heat under the oil to mediumhigh. In batches, add the flattened plantains back to the oil and briefly fry to golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Assembly:

1. Top each tostone with a few slices of avocado followed by about a ¼ cup of the ceviche and enjoy.

The Life of a Street Vendor translated to

New York City is a popular and diverse place filled with immigrants. While being in New York could mean that prices are high compared to suburban areas, it can also mean there are more opportunities for self-starters like fruit, tamale, street meat, and raspado vendors. The most common mode of transportation in New York City is public transit, but to pay $2.75 to take the subway or bus to Target to buy food is so much more tedious than walking down the block to pick up strawberries or latkes from food vendors! Street vendors are crucial to their communities and make our lives much easier, yet sometimes they are overlooked. When you think about street vendors, you might picture fancy food trucks or trendy dishes, but trendiness doesn’t factor into immigrant workers like paleteros, mango-sellers at the beach, ice sellers at the park, raspado vendors on the streets, or churro sellers on the train. Whether it’s tamales at 5:00 am or halal food at 10:00 pm, you can always count on food vendors to fulfill your needs. These unique entrepreneurs sacrifice a lot just to meet their needs and provide for their families. Evelia Coyotzi, an immigrant vendor and owner of Evelia’s Tamales, a Mexican restaurant in Corona, Queens, is a prime example of this hard work and dedication. After the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001, she lost her job. Evelia has always been a self-starter, and when it came to supporting herself and her family, instead of turning to the government for help, she did what she always does best: bet on herself and rely on her natural talents. From a young age, Coyotzi had to work hard as her mother was a single mom raising four kids while being a widow in San Sebastián, Mexico. Coyotzi’s father died when she was about one. As she grew, she had to step up and help her mother by learning to cook and clean. Eventually she had to leave her only son John with her mom in Mexico so she could come to New York and sell from a shopping cart on the street corner. Over the years, she’s been arrested more than 18 times, but never gave up. Read on to learn more about a day in her life.

It’s pretty crazy actually. When the twin towers fell, I was working at McDonald’s. Due to the attack, I was put out of a job, which is why I started selling food out of my cart.

Do you have to prepare the tamales?

Most of the tamales are prepared the night before. In the mornings, I really just walk out the door. I try to pack everything at night so I can get the most hours of sleep.

Do you wake up with the rest of your family?

Early on, it was just me and my husband, and we didn’t have to go through the hassle of getting kids ready in the morning. Although my husband had his own job at the time, because making tamales wasn’t really bringing in that much revenue. We needed another source of income to survive.

What time do you usually leave?

I usually leave around 4 am or 5 am in the morning,. I had to be by my spot at 6 am. So I can get the early commuters.

When’s your rush hour?

From about 5 am to 9 am, I was the busiest. First, the construction workers and the people with early jobs arrive, then all the kids going to school arrive, and finally the parents arrive. It was pretty much like this almost every morning.

How much per customer do you make during rush hour?

To be honest, you can’t really tell because some people come around for four or five tamales, even 10. If it’s a construction worker, or somebody looking for a simple breakfast, they at least buy two or three, always more than one, with a drink like atole.

Is there cart rivalry?

There isn’t really any rivalry, but I always notice that other vendors saw I was selling a lot. They park the cart right next to me just to sell more. It does work sometimes, because many people are not patient, and their train is right there, so they didn’t have time to wait. It doesn’t bother me, but the next day they would come and tell me, “I tried the other ladies, but they weren’t as good as yours.” Most of the time, they’d stay with me because they know that I give them quality products, and they don’t really want to experiment that early in the morning.

Where do you store your car, and how much do you have to pay?

When I first started off, I had a shopping cart which I just stored in my house, but now that I have a bigger and more professional cart, I have to pay for a garage. The cost really depends on how big of a space you need. Prices vary from $150 to $450, depending on your cart.

What happens if you have to use the restroom on the cart? Do you have employees with you?

You have to be very loving with your neighbors because if not for them, they’re wouldn’t be any restrooms. Back when it was just me, I would have to leave my cart out by itself and make a very quick bathroom run. Now I usually leave it with the employees.

What time do you start to pack up?

I usually stay out until 1 pm because I mostly serve