¡Mofongo!
Written: Jul 10 '05
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Pros: Good, cheap comfort food
Cons: Not as clean as some would like, Mofongo is cholesterol in its purest form
The Bottom Line: -
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| carnut2k4's Full Review: Casa Del Mofongo |
Mofongo
I'm sure most people reading this are asking themselves what the hell Mofongo is, so I’ll start with an explanation.
Mofongo is a staple side dish which hails from Puerto Rico. Growing up in NY, all the Hispanic people I knew were Puerto Rican. From this culture I came to appreciate many food items. Mofongo is the topic of this essay, and the name of the restaurant I am reviewing.
Can I have some pork fat with my bacon grease?
The recipe itself varies from family to family. All ethnic comfort foods do. The way I learned to make it is thusly:
Take 3 or 4 green plantains, cut them into half inch slices and fry them in oil for a few minutes on each side until they soften a bit, but remove them from the oil before they turn dark. Put them aside to drain. Pour out the oil.
Use the pan (with its residual oil) to quickly fry 3 or 4 tablespoons of chopped garlic. Set aside.
In a separate pan, fry up some bacon. 6 or 8 strips is about what you need. Fry it up until it’s really good and crispy. Remove the bacon and break it up into little pieces. You’ll need a mortar and pestle down the road a bit so go ahead and use it to really smash up the crispy bacon. Set aside.
Now take the frying pan full of bacon grease and use it to fry up about a half a cups worth of cubed salt pork. For the uninitiated, salt pork is basically just salted fatback. It’s solid pork fat from the pig’s belly. ** if you followed the instructions correctly you are now frying pork fat in bacon grease **. Use an old fashioned potato masher and go to work on the salt pork. As it cooks mash it really well.
When the salt pork is all soft and mashed, add the fried plantains to the frying pan and continue mashing to mix it all together. When the salt pork and plantains are well mixed add in the crumbled bacon and fried garlic. Keep on mashing – you’re going for a specific texture. It’s a little tough to describe on paper, but think of mashed potatoes that are kinda dry. That’s about what you want.
When it’s done you have to form it. I have a mortar and pestle that works perfectly for this. The mortar is sort of shaped (on the inside) like a teacup but it’s twice the size. Work the mofongo mixture into the mortar and use the pestle to form it to the walls at about a half inch thick. When you’re done you can flip it over on a plate and knock it out of the mortar so you have a hollow little mountain of mofongo on the plate. I like to eat mine with a handful of Lipitor.
A Puerto Rican friend of mine tells me that the only ‘true’ way to make it involves the use of a Fry Daddy™. I would think the dish pre-dates the invention of the Fry Daddy™ - but don’t quote me on that.
I brake for food
I was driving down Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach a few months ago when something caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye a lime green building with the word ‘Mofongo’ painted across the top of it almost caused me to lose control of my car. I slammed on the brakes and went in to check it out. The outside is freshly painted and beautiful. The inside, well, isn’t. It’s not terrible but it needs some work. As you enter, a pool table is to your left and is always being used. To the right is a very small bar. About a half dozen booths and one or two tables are available. Go ahead and seat yourself at the least sticky booth you can find.
No habla Español
Don’t ask for a menu, they don’t have any. The several times I’ve been there they always tell me they’re ‘being printed’. A chalk board up front has the dishes available on it but it’s in Spanish. The (drop dead gorgeous) waitress is always happy to read it to you in English. The expected dishes are available. Pan-fried flank steak with grilled onions, fried chicken, baked chicken, fried pork chunks, shrimp, etc. are the standards you can always count on to be on the menu. Next you pick your side dish. You can get white rice and tostones (fried sweet plantains) – but if you do you probably missed the name of the restaurant. Trust me, get the Mofongo. Some lettuce and a tomato slice will be on your plate as well. The Mofongo itself is probably made very similarly to the recipe I provided above. Your blood pressure will elevate as you order it. Mofongo is dense and heavy and will weigh heavily in your stomach for hours. You’ll burp garlic for another day and nobody will get too close to you but it doesn’t matter, it’s worth it. Mofongo is good.
Everything I’ve had here is wonderful. My favorite is the steak. It’s a bit on the salty side and very tender with almost no fat. The chicken is great as well. I’ve never had the shrimp but I imagine it’s good. None of this will be the best you’ve ever had but the overall quality is undeniable. This is cheap comfort food. All the meals are eight dollars and a can of soda is a buck. A television blares sports all the time and a group of young people are always playing pool and wiling away the afternoon over a few too many Presidente beers. As far as local hole in the wall places go, this one’s a gem.
Casa Del Mofongo
5808 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
(561) 512-0803
No known website
Reservations..............not taken / needed
Vegetarians...............will be beaten and left in the alley
Bathrooms.................hold it til you get home
Kid Friendly...............yes, but not if they’re picky eaters
Hours.........................11-8, 7 days
Dress Code................none
Parking......................street – some metered some free
Wheelchair Access....yes
Credit Cards...............visa, mastercard
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations -
Best Suited For: Friends
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carnut2k4
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Member: Jason
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Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers
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