Fry about 8-10 slices of the plantains at a time turning them occasionally

Fry about 8-10 slices of the plantains at a time, turning them occasionally with a slotted spoon, for 3-4 minutes until they’re crisp but not coloured too much. Depending on the ripeness of the plantains they may take a little longer or less time to cook. Remove them from the fat with the slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the plantains and dust with the salt and cayenne mixture.To make the avocado salsa, peel the avocados and remove the stone. Finely chop the flesh and mix it with the chilli, spring onion and lime. Add enough olive oil to bind it into a stiff, spooning consistency mixture then season with salt.Serve the salsa in a dipping bowl with a spoon, surrounded by the plantain crisps..

But further evidence of the enduring appeal of their music and the Manchester music scene they inhabited in the 1970s and 1980s arrived yesterday with details of a film about the troubled life of lead singer Ian Curtis, who hanged himself on the eve of Joy Division’s first US tour. Plantains, as you may or may not know, are a member of the banana family but tend to be used for savoury dishes. They can be eaten at varying stages of ripeness depending on what you are serving them with. Repeat with the rest of the meat and put to one side.Heat the rest of the oil in a pan large enough to take all the stew and fry the onions and garlic on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden.

Add the ginger, ground cloves and sugar, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until the mixture begins to caramelise to a dark brown colour. Add the pepper sauce, marjoram, tomato pur? the beef and any juices, and stir well.Add the beef stock, lightly season, bring to the boil and simmer for 11/2 hours with the lid on. If the stock evaporates leaving some of the meat uncovered, add a cupful or so of water. It’s difficult to put a cooking time on stewing beef so if it’s not tender after 11/2 hours, keep simmering it until it’s done. This could take another 30 minutes to 1 hour and you may have to top up the sauce with water if necessary.The consistency of the stew should be quite dry with not too much sauce, so when you are happy with the tenderness of the meat check the amount of sauce and turn the heat up to reduce the sauce if there is too much.. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan until almost smoking and fry the beef, a handful at a time, on a high heat, turning occasionally until nicely browned.

I was given a jar a few months ago and it has a great perfumed sweetness and a rich dark colour. Black treacle, if you have any, would do instead and give more depth of colour than sugar.
I’ve said this before, but it is worth repeating. Try to avoid buying pre-cubed stewing steak as it can be a mixture of cuts and muscles and the pieces take various times to cook. If you have a good butcher ask for one of the cuts below to be cubed. If you buy your meat from one of the mail-order suppliers who sell online you may be able to ask them for the cut you want.1kg stewing beef like flank, ox cheek, shin or feather blade, cut into 3cm chunks 2tbsp vegetable oil 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 40g of root ginger, peeled and grated A pinch of ground cloves 1tbsp dark brown sugar 1tsp hot pepper sauce, preferably West Indian 1tsp chopped fresh marjoram, oregano or thyme 1tsp tomato pur?Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 litres beef stock, or a couple of stock cubes dissolved in that amount of hot waterSeason the beef with salt and pepper. The spices, though, were local and consisted of mace, cinnamon, ginger, a hint of chilli and a good spoonful of sugar. If you can get it jaggery molasses would be perfect for the job.