South American Corn, Bean, and Squash Soup with Plantain Spiders

1 cup dry pinto beans, soaked overnight or 2, 14-ounce cans (dry beans are cheap!)

1 cup diced onion

1 diced red bell pepper (about 1 cup)

1 can (4 ounces) fire roasted chiles

2 cans (15.25 ounces each) corn

2 pounds butternut squash cut into ½-inch cubes

4 cloves garlic

½ cup packed bail leaves (grow your own)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons oil

Plantain spiders

3 light green plantains

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or shredded on microplane

Salt and pepper

½ cup vegetable oil

For the soup: Put soaked beans in a pot and add 1 quart of water with 2 teaspoons of salt, simmer for 45 minutes then drain. If using canned beans you can skip this step.

Heat oil on medium heat in the bottom of a soup pot and add onion and peppers; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chiles, corn, squash, and beans. Cover with water and simmer for 20 minutes until squash is soft.

Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender, adding the garlic and basil. Purée the mixture and return to the soup pot. Add the cumin and oregano, and then salt to taste. Simmer for 15 more minutes.

For the plantains: Score the plantains several times along their length, cutting through the peel but not the fruit. This makes them easier to peel, so peel them. On a box grater, shred the plantains into a bowl. To the shredded plantains add minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well.

Heat ¼ cup of oil in a skillet over medium heat,

Use 2 tablespoons to simultaneously scoop up and mash together some of plantain mixture. Gently slide the mixture off the spoons, into the hot oil. Press down on the spider a little once it is in the oil. Repeat until you have filled the skillet, leaving about an inch of space between the spiders. Fry the spiders for 5 minutes on the first side and 4 on the second. Watch them to make sure they don't burn. Drain cooked spiders on paper towels.

Add the remaining oil and repeat until the all of the plantain mixture has been cooked.

Serves four.

Michael Pennisi, 2012 Cook of the Week Challenge winner