Yum!

My dad went back home last week after a lovely visit. We miss him terribly, but thanks to his marvelous sense of proper travel packing, yesterday we had a yummy reminder of his visit.

You see, when Dad got off the plane his carry-on bag felt like it contained six or seven bricks. He had something much better than bricks in his bag. He had vegetables! Yucca, malanga and a few others. And--drum roll, please!--he had about a dozen of the most beautiful plantains I've seen in a long time.

Last night we had the last of the plantains. A fabulous meal, and one I wanted to share with you. Hubby had grilled chicken with his soup, but I was content with soup and a chunk of warm bread.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Thanks, Dad!

Sopa de Platano (Plantain Soup)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
1 carrot
3 cloves garlic
3 plantains
6 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Chop the onion, carrot and garlic. Set aside. Peel plantains and cut into small chunks.

Heat oil in heavy stockpot. Saute onion, carrot and garlic until tender.

Add stock and bring to a boil. When soup is boiling, add plantains and bay leaf. Lightly salt and pepper and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes, or until plantains are very soft.

Remove bay leaf. Puree soup and return to heat. Serve warm, garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges, if desired.