Faux-Fongo with Red Bean Gravy

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pound or 6 Roma or plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can red beans or pinto beans
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 green plantains
• 8 slices bacon, fried crisp, plus 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat
• 3 garlic cloves
• Kosher salt
• Special equipment: food processor and 4 (6-ounce) ramekins

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add in the onion, green pepper and garlic.
3. Saute for 3 minutes to soften the vegetables.
4. Then, add the tomato paste and cumin and cook until a deep reddish-brown color is achieved.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they become tender, about 5 minutes.
6. Pour in the broth and the beans, bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
7. (Chef's Note: The consistency will be soupy.)
8. Adjust the seasonings with salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
9. For the faux-fongo:
10. Heat 2-inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 360 degrees F.
11. Cut the plantains into 2-inch pieces, then remove their skins with a knife by cutting through a corner of the flesh along the length of the slice to get a lead, then peel the fruit.
12. Fry the plantains, in batches, in the oil until when tapped with a metal spoon it sounds hard, about 8 minutes.
13. Transfer the pieces to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining plantains.
14. Sandwich the plantains between parchment paper and, using a small plate or a coffee mug, press them so they are about 1/2-inch thick.
15. Fry the plantains again at 360 degrees F until crisp and golden, then transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly.
16. Add the fried plantains to a food processor.
17. Combine them with the bacon, bacon fat, and garlic, then pulse until everything is blended, but still chunky.
18. (Chef's Note: The texture should be a mix of crunchy, moist and tender.)
19. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, if needed.
20. To serve, spoon in enough Faux-Fongo to fill a 6-ounce ramekin and press the mixture down well.
21. Invert the portion onto a plate and ladle the gravy around it.
22. Repeat with remaining 3 servings.

olive oil, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, ground cumin, tomatoes, chicken broth, red beans, kosher salt, vegetable oil, green plantains, bacon, garlic, kosher salt, processor

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/faux-fongo-with-red-bean-gravy-recipe.html (may not work)