Sunday, February 26, 2006
Banana Bread and Potato Wedges
Back to work today, so the kitchen takes the back seat again. That's OK, though; I cooked more than I admitted yesterday. I had some bananas slowly going soft in the kitchen and really needed something to do with them. I was too cheap to throw them away, after all I had paid good money for them - Tesco's organic don't come cheap. They weren't exactly great to begin with - too starchy and definitely not flavoursome -, which is probably why they sat there long enough to go speckly. Normally, I don't mind eating very ripe bananas. In fact, I much prefer them to those cucumber-like green things they try to sell as bananas in this country. But a mouthful of moist starch just didn't seem appealing. It did, however, sound like the perfect base for a banana bread. Add a few cupboard staples and you end up with a yummy cake.Banana bread was one of the first things I learnt to cook. I got the recipe in the US when I was there on a student exchange in 1992. Our local Kroger's in Cincinnati, Ohio, gave recipe cards away for free next to the ingredients you might need to make them. I don't know exactly when or even why I picked it up (although I suspect the answer to the latter question is, sadly, that it was free and that I had been taught to always look out for a bargain), but it was one of the more important steps in my life towards becoming a foodie. It was amazingly easy and, apart from the baking time, quick to make, and what was even better, while it needed no special ingredients, it was totally exotic in Germany and always helped me score coolness points when I took one to school. It was then that I learned that if you can cook, you'll never be short of friends. But before I bore you all to death, here's the recipe (just a note to my non-American readers, a cup is equal to 250 ml):
2 cups all purpose flourBut that was yesterday. Today, after work, I had no time, or rather no energy, for baking or even large cooking projects left. Hmm... I've just realised that I make my job sound like the worst thing a human being can possibly do to earn a living. It is not. I'm not a mineworker or cockle picker. I don't even have to work physically. I'm one of those people who stare into a computer screen all day and still grow tired. Believe me, I have more than once considered leaving all this behind and starting an apprenticeship in a restaurant, but something has always kept me from doing it; my parents' expectations of me going to university; the lack of opportunity to work in a kitchen during school; and now that I'm done studying, the need to earn as much money as possible to pay off the debts from my student years. But one day, I'm hoping to be free enough to try it, and probably learn that chopping vegetables 8 hours a day is no more fun that typing. But until then, I will keep dreaming and I will continue to love to cook. Tonight I needed something simple to do though. I still had a couple of nice, big Portabella mushrooms left, so I opted for the old favourite of stuffed mushrooms with potato wedges. And being as you've already got the mushroom recipe, I decided to let you in on my secret to using up slowly aging waxy spuds. This recipe is adaptable for any amount of people, and, by adjusting the seasoning, you can give it a number of different characters, from Mexican to Indian.
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup bananas (the softer the better), peeled and mashed
1/3 cup oil (use something without a flavour of its own such as sunflower oil)
¼ cup milk
110 g chocolate chips
½ cup walnuts, chopped
Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Mix all dry ingredients except the chocolate and walnuts together.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, bananas, oil and milk, then add to the flour mixture. When they're all thoroughly mixed, add the chocolate chips and walnuts. Do not overdo the stirring, this will only make the chocolate and nuts sink to the bottom.
Spoon the mixture into a non-stick loaf tin, spread it out evenly and bake it for 55 minutes. The loaf is done when a skewer pushed into its middle comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, before removing from the tin.
4 medium floury potatoes
5 to 6 tbsp oil
herbs and spices to taste (I most often use a mix of paprika, garlic powder, thyme, oregano and a pinch of chilli; you can also add a bit of ginger and cumin for an Asian touch or use fresh herbs for a more Italian feel)
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Wash and dry the potatoes, then cut into thick wedges. Put the oil in a baking dish and slightly heat in the oven. When the oil is warm and runny, add the potatoes. Stir well to cover with oil, then sprinkle with the spices. Stir again to make sure the spices are well soaked in oil and the potatoes are evenly coated. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the potatoes are tender and crispy. Turn the wedges only once or twice during that time. Serve as a side dish or as a snack accompanied by sour cream dip or sweet chilli sauce.
Christine at 5:17 pm
