Cuban green plantain soup

Hello! I'm still here, I just haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to be recently. I might have mentioned before that I have an emotional relationship with food. And so when my emotions are all over the shop, as they have been recently, I can't focus on what I love to do. Which is a shame, as it would probably help. This plantain soup (from A Taste of Cuba by Beatriz Llamas) sure managed to comfort me. I knew it would, which is why I've been meaning to make it for a week now, but even though there are plantains all over Hackney, I couldn't find the right ones in my closest shops, and I didn't have the tenacity or emotional strength to go searching further afield. They need to be green, you see, not speckled or yellow. Apart from that though, it was so simple - only four ingredients! Or five if you count the tabasco

Ingredients

2-3 Green plantains

Beef stock - about a pint

Juice of 1 lime

2 Garlic cloves

Tabasco to serve

Salt and pepper

You peel the plantains, cut them into inch long chucks and cook for about 40-50min in the stock, then blend along with the garlic and seasoning. I was making the soup last night, so left it in the fridge overnight then blended it today. I don't like blending hot liquids, as I tend to get burnt one way or another. Beatriz now asks you to sieve the soup. I started to do this, but then realized that I liked the grainy texture and stopped, you carry on if you must. It will probably make the soup look nicer. Then heat it up along with the lime juice. I'd suggest serving it with tabasco, but again, this is my own innovation, apparently Cubans aren't into spicy food