Monthly Archive for April, 2008

Maple banana frozen yogurt

Published
by
marc
on April 26, 2008
in Dessert
. 12 Comments

Having made Banana peel steamed pork and rice I was left with a bunch of banana guts (the part people usually eat). I had some egg yolks in the fridge so I contemplated making a custard base for a proper banana ice cream. Alas, my laziness won over and I decided to go with my usual custard-less recipe. Given the marbling on the pork I figured it was for the best anyway.

I had some Brown Cow Cream Top maple yogurt sitting in the fridge. For those of you that haven’t tried this, it is quite simply my favourite yogurt available in the US. It’s sweetened with maple syrup and cane juice and has a little floater of cream that makes it taste almost like creme fraiche when mixed in. If you can’t find this particular yogurt you can use regular plain yogurt with a bit of cream and sweeten it with grade B maple syrup.

Unlike report cards, “grade B” doesn’t mean that the syrup is inferior to “grade A”. It refers to the color of the syrup (grade B is darker than grade A). The darker color means more mapley flavor and it’s absolutely delicious on pancakes, sausages, or anything else you’d normally douse with syrup.

The following is a super simple somewhat-healthy fro-yo that’s nutty smooth and refreshing.
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Banana peel steamed pork and rice

Published
by
admin
on April 25, 2008
in Dinner, Experimental and Pork
. 21 Comments

Last week, I was sitting in a product meeting at work. Our CTO was eating a banana and as he set the peel down on the table it struck me that it would make the perfect vessel to hold food. Since then I’ve been mulling over all the different ways one could cook food in a piece of the fruit that’s come to symbolize rubbish.

I began to fantasize about fork tender hunks for moist pork surrounded by rice infused with the flavors of banana and the savory pork. Over the following week I decided that a Cuban mojo would make a fine marinade (although I’d considered using a tamarind based marinade).

My biggest concern was that the astringent taste of the peel would ruin the contents. Upon doing some research I found that banana peels are used in some regions of India to make chutney. I also learned that there are some nasty pesticides used on bananas so I decided it would be best to use organic bananas. Beyond that I found nary a reference to cooking with banana peels.

My first inclination was to roast them at a low temperature, but after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that the dry heat would make it take a lot longer to make the meat tender. I was also thinking that it could potentially render the rice inedible. In the end, I decided to steam the bundles.

As with most things one fantasizes about for days on end, this didn’t quite live up to the high expectations I had, but that’s not to say it wasn’t good. As expected, it had a fairly strong banana flavor, so if you don’t like bananas, this might not be for you. The meat came out incredibly moist and tender and the rice was cooked perfectly, soaking up the flavors of the peel along with the juices from the pork.

The next time I do this, I’m going to try serving it with a salsa… maybe a mango coconut celery salsa.

      

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Bacon, ramps ‘n nuts

Published
by
marc
on April 24, 2008
in Spring and Vegetable
. 7 Comments

While I’m all about making simple things regardless of the time of year, this is especially true as summer approaches. Part of this is a practical thing (don’t want to have the stove on all day), but it’s mostly because I like to enjoy summer’s bounty almost naked, with just a few accents to make things pop.

Summer is a time for satiny leafy greens, curvaceous summer squashes and sweet succulent berries with all laid to bare. Can they be adorned with a few accessories? Sure! Just as long as you don’t cover up the best bits. Is this starting to sound like a steamy romance novel? Well good! because I’m passionate about the foods of summer.

As it gets warm outside, I’ll be visiting farms, gathering summer’s beauties and exposing them, centerfold style. The following highlights two gorgeous greens with little bits of fleshy pink bacon and bronzed walnuts setting the whole thing off.

2 slices of thick-cut bacon cut into batons
3 medium swiss chard leaves roughly chopped
10 ramps roughly chopped
small handful of crumbled walnuts

Cook the bacon in a saute pan over medium heat until a good amount of fat has rendered out and the edges start turning brown (but not crisp). Turn up the heat and add the swiss chard, tossing until wilted and the white stems turn translucent.

Add the ramps and walnuts and cook for a few more seconds until the ramps wilt and turn a vibrant green. Grind some black pepper on top and serve.

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Chickpeas with spring greens (vegan)

Published
by
marc
on April 23, 2008
in Soups & Stews, Spring, Vegan, Vegetable and Vegetarian
. 4 Comments

If I were ever to become a vegetarian, I’d have to move to the south of India. In an area that’s primarily vegetarian, the people have adapted the use of spices and aromatics to infuse even the most humble vegetables with loads of umami.

This is something I came up with last night based on a 5 year old memory of a dish I had at a Keralan restaurant once. If you’re looking for an authentic Chana Masala, you’ll have to look elsewhere. However if you want something light and fresh while savory and deeply satisfying, this is your dish. On one side, ingredients like the chickpeas, onions and spices add some savory heft to it, while the curry leaves, spring greens and lemon juice pull it back in the other direction.

Simple to cook and easy to clean up, the only problem you’ll have making this is that you’ll want to eat all of it!

2 tsp oil
10 curry leaves chopped
1 Tbs ginger minced
1 large clove of garlic minced
1 serrano or jalepeno pepper minced
1/4 onion diced
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
14 oz can whole tomatoes in juice
15 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 medium swiss chard leaves roughly chopped
5-6 ramps roughly chopped

Lemon wedges for serving

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until very hot. Add the curry leaves and ginger, frying until fragrant. Add the garlic, peppers, onions and spices and saute until the onions are tender.

Add the tomatoes by crushing them through your fingers along with the juice. If this is too messy for you, you can chop them, but i like the chunky texture of hand crushed tomatoes. Add the chickpeas then turn down the heat to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

When most of the liquid is gone and what remains creates a nice thick sauce, add the chopped swiss chard, cover and cook for a few minutes until the chard is bright green and wilted. Add the ramps and cook for another minute or two.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squishing and some quinoa or Chapatis.

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Orecchiette with ramps and fiddleheads

Published
by
marc
on April 22, 2008
in Dinner, Pasta and Spring
. 10 Comments

Having brought home quite a haul from our little foraging expedition, my head was abuzz with all the possibilities. While foraging I was worried I might not be able to use everything we’d picked. By the time I was done with this meal, I realized I should have gotten more.

This simple pasta dish just tastes like spring. Lightly sauteed, the ramps are sweet with a mild garlicy flavor that goes really well with the smokey bacon. The fiddleheads don’t have a ton of their own flavor but they’re slightly sweet and add a nice texture to the dish. If you want to make this vegetarian, just omit the bacon and use a tablespoon of olive oil instead of a teaspoon.

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 strips thick cut Berkshire bacon chopped
1 large handful of ramps roughly chopped
1/2 C fiddleheads par-boiled
freshly ground pepper
8 oz orecchiette pasta boiled according to package
shaved pecorino romano

Start the pasta while preping the rest of the ingredient, but wait until your pasta is done and drained before you start cooking the rest. I just use the pot the pasta comes out of to make the bacon and veggies.

Add the oil to a hot pan over medium high heat, then add the bacon. Fry until the bacon is slightly brown around the edges (but not crispy)

Add the ramps and fiddleheads and saute lightly, adding a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add the pasta and toss to coat.

Serve with shaved Pecorino Romano.

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