The next in our on-going series of delicious, deep-fried delights comes from Puerto Rico. There, you can try dozens of treats made with the island’s ubiquitous plantain (a relative of the banana) but few as delicious as the alcapurria.
This deep-fried pillow of ground green plantain and taro, stuffed with stewed meat, is a favorite Puerto Rican fried food creation, often displayed under hot lights in the front of the restaurant. You’ll usually find it alongside meat turnovers, blood sausage, fried pork and deep-fried potato balls. It’s a snack that looks like a tiny football, costs about a buck and has an earthy, savory but slightly banana-ish flavor.
We like the tasty if slightly greasy alcapurrias at Borinquen Restaurant (1720 N. California Ave.; 773-227-6038) with real chunks of pork rather than ground meat. La Palma (1340 N. Homan, 773-862-0886) also features a nice alcapurria in its extensive, serve-yourself, fried food section, as does a stand in Humboldt Park called Perry’s Place (on California Avenue a little South of North Avenue).
For an alcapurria that has a slightly different look and flavor, check out the nearly greaseless, corndog-ish ones at Marta’s Restaurant (1143 N. California Ave.; 773-384-5403) where they make them with a different banana cousin called the guineo. The results are terrific.