This recipe for plantain gnocchi is a new take on a Jamaican memory
Can color trigger a taste memory?
Before I even opened “Plentiful,” the first cookbook by Denai Moore, the bright motif of the cover reminded me of Miami, where I spent some of my formative culinary years. The book, which will be released in the United States next month, sets out to transform the Jamaican classics that Moore grew up with into new vegan favorites.
Miami isn’t Jamaica, of course. But enclaves of that city are home to groups of people with ties to the greater Caribbean, and those communities lean hard into their traditional food and culture. The vibrant colors and bold design of the book reminded me of those neighborhoods and the flavors I associated with them. South Florida was where I lived when I graduated from subsisting on a steady diet of fast food and casual chains to seeking out the flavors that make a place unique. Black beans and rice, yuca, mofongo, empanadas, and Jamaican patties were the dishes that initially tore my attention away from the burgers, takeout pizza and late-night diner food that had been my default.
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Moore is a London-based musician who grew up in Jamaica. Her interest in food grew when she was on tour, inspiring her to create dishes to match the memories she craved. She started hosting supper clubs and pop-up restaurants featuring her vegan takes on those tastes of Jamaica, and when the pandemic hit, she began compiling recipes for what would become “Plentiful.” Is it weird that Moore’s memories of her history viscerally took me back to a different place?
Admittedly, another part of what I loved about that food back then was the roasted pork and grilled chicken and oxtails. So I was curious to see which of Moore’s dishes would look familiar to me. Many employ mushrooms, tofu and even hearts of palm to fill roles traditionally played by an animal protein. I was immediately interested in her take on chicken and beef patties, which use vegan meat alternatives inside the classic turmeric-tinted dough. They looked just like the ones that a former colleague used to bring to the office to share, and I was sure I would make those soon.
But then I turned the page and saw a dish unlike anything I ever encountered in South Florida.
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One of the dishes that she created for the pop-ups was something she originally called “Rasta Pasta.” It was gnocchi, made not with the traditional potato like the Italian prototype, but with plantain. Plantains were often the basis of my favorite side dishes when I lived in South Florida, but when I saw the recipe in the book, it took me a minute; the idea of plantains as gnocchi initially stunned me, but then it made total sense. Like potatoes, plantains are a starch. Why wouldn’t it work?
It comes together so fast and simmers briefly in a sauce that is little more than a can of coconut milk and an entire head of soft roasted garlic. It’s a handful of familiar elements that together taste like nothing you’ve ever had before.
And just like that, I have an entirely new flavor combination that I’ll never forget.
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