Recipes from Costa Rica
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Cooking Classes
  • Online Cooking Classes
  • About me
  • Contact
  • The Food Tour

LET ME SHARE WITH YOU MY COSTA RICAN food

​​SCROLL DOWN OR SEARCH FOR A SPECIFIC RECIPE ​

Piononos

7/1/2019

5 Comments

 
Picture
Piononos is a different way of preparing ripe plantains, present in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine that refers to a small snack filled with cheese, beans or meat, in the form of a ball or an empanada and fried.

​In Costa Rica, they are more common in the southern part of the country and the central valley, where you can find them as sweet plantain empanadas.

This recipe is very simple to make and even though 
It is customary to fry the piononos you can also choose to bake them to make the recipe a little healthier. 
Picture
Piononos

Ingredients:
3 sweet plantains ripe. 

1 cup young white cheese (queso fresco) grated
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sugar cane syrup (miel de cana) or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves

1 cup refried beans
vegetable oil

Directions: 
Cut the plantains in half and place them in a pot with water (don't remove the skin).
Cook until soft (about 15 min), drain well, remove the skin and mash the plantains. 
Add all the rest of the ingredients (except beans and vegetable oil) and mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.
Working with your hands, take 2 tbsp of the pure and make it into a tortilla add 1 tbsp of the refried beans and roll into a ball.
When you are done making the balls, heap up the oil and fry the piononos until golden brown, about 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Set aside on a paper towel and serve them while hot. 

*If baking, you can bake them at 350F for 20 minutes. 
Picture
5 Comments
Keith Stickwood
9/13/2022 05:22:03 pm

These are delicious!

Reply
Linda Crawford
6/10/2023 02:51:00 pm

Oh I know I am going to sound so stupid with this question but I am confused about the directions in the recipe. Does the plaintains get mixed together with all the other ingredients except the beans? Also, confused on what you mean when you say, "take 2 tbsp of the pure and make it into a tortilla add 1 tbsp of the refried beans and roll into a ball."
Please forgive me, for they look delicious, just not quite understanding when the smashed plantains gets added and if the beans are suppose to be on the outside!
Pura Vida!

Reply
Elizabeth Ramos
6/27/2023 01:06:52 pm

Linda, I take this to mean that you make a little disc in your hand with the plantain mixture, then put the beans on top, fold over the disc, then roll the whole thing into a ball before baking. The balls in the picture look a little flattened too, so you might want to do that.

And, I also think that she does mean everything, including the cheese, gets mixed in with the plantain, except for the beans.

Reply
epdm tarp straps link
4/20/2025 10:11:47 pm

At The Tarp Co, we specialize in providing durable, high-quality tarps for a wide range of applications. Whether you need protection for your outdoor equipment, coverage for construction projects, or custom solutions for industrial use, we have the perfect tarp to meet your needs.

<a href = "https://www.thetarpco.com/epdm-rubber-tarp-straps-with-hooks">epdm tarp straps</a>

Reply
Poly Tarps link
6/14/2025 02:23:40 am

The Tarp Co." stands as a premier provider of high-quality tarps, catering to a diverse range of needs across the United States. With a commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, we offer a comprehensive selection of tarps designed to meet various requirements, from residential to commercial and industrial applications.

<a href = "https://www.thetarpco.com/poly-tarps"> Poly Tarps </a>

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Pura Vida!

    Hi I'm Meli and I love food, I love cooking, I love eating, I love traveling and I love Costa Rica.  I want to share a little bit of my culture through my food

    Archives

    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    August 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017

    Categories

    All
    Bread
    Chayote
    Chicken
    Desserts
    Ice Cream
    Meatball
    Passion Fruit
    Plantain
    Rice
    Soups

    RSS Feed

© COPYRIGHT 2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Cooking Classes
  • Online Cooking Classes
  • About me
  • Contact
  • The Food Tour