The trick to mofongo is to work fast while the fried plantains are still hot, and to alternate ingredients into the bowl so ...

Fillings for the African-influenced meal can include anything from seafood to pork, beef or vegetables. In Puerto Rico, you ...

Substitute mofongo for apple pie and you have a fairly ... heaping mound of mashed fried green plantains studded with crisp pork cracklings — has many incarnations across the island: drenched ...

pork shoulder, ham, and other toppings, with a massive stack of French fries. 264 Hyde Park Ave., Jamaica Plain, Boston, 617-522-2455. Unsurprisingly, it’s all about the mofongo here.

mofongo consists of seafood, meat or vegetables atop mashed plantains; pasteles are made of mashed banana (or yucca) and stuffed with pork, chicken or cod; and lechón is smoky, roasted suckling pig.

and make a final mealtime of mofongo, mashed and fried plantains crowned with, for example, rich beef stew or pork rinds. 68 Aguadilla St., South End, Boston, 617-266-0900, manabostoncafe.com.