Food Finds : Bananas and Banana Chutneys

Bananas are supposed to be kept outside in the air. In Gourmet magazine, (7/2009), there was a small article about bananas. I know bananas don’t go in refrigerators. But do you know why? Their skin (not necessarily their fruit) breaks down and turns dark brown in 24 hours as the cold air damages the tissue peel . The tissue then release browning enzymes which actually work more slowly in the cold. So if the bananas are already ripe , you can then place them in the refrigerator.
Chutney recipes are akin to Mexican salsas. These condiments come with fruit, vegetable, and other foods of all types. One usual one is banana chutneys that I ran across while researching bananas. Give one or both of these a try with beef, chicken or fish.

www.africhef.com/Banana-Chutney-Recipe.html
B a n a n a C h u t n e y

B a n a n a s , i n c o m m o n w i t h m a n y o t h e r f r u i t s c a n b e u s e d f o r m a k i n g c h u t n e y .

T h i s S o u t h A f r i c a n r e c i p e f o r B a n a n a C h u t n e y i s e a s y t o p r e p a r e a n d t h e r e s u l t a n t c h u t n e y i s w e l l w o r t h t h e s l i g h t e f f o r t r e q u i r e d .

C H U T N E Y R E C I P E I N G R E D I E N T S

3 0 b a n a n a s
3 c u p s b r o w n v i n e g a r
2 c u p s b r o w n s u g a r
1 c u p s e e d l e s s r a i s i n s
2 r e d c h i l i e s
1 o n i o n ( m e d i u m )
2 t b s p g r o u n d g i n g e r
1 t b s p s a l t

T o m a k e t h e B A N A N A C H U T N E Y

P e e l t h e o n i o n a n d c h o p f i n e l y .
R e m o v e t h e s e e d s f r o m t h e c h i l i e s a n d c h o p f i n e l y .
P e e l a n d s l i c e t h e b a n a n a s , a b o u t º i n c h ( 1 / 2 c m ) r o u n d s .
C o m b i n e a l l t h e i n g r e d i e n t s a n d s i m m e r i n a s t a i n l e s s s t e e l o r e n a m e l s a u c e p a n f o r 2 h o u r s , u n t i l t h e m i x t u r e r e a c h e s t h e d e s i r e d c o n s i s t e n c y .
B o t t l e a n d s e a l w h i l s t t h e B a n a n a C h u t n e y m i x t u r e i s s t i l l h o t .

B a n a n a c h u t n e y h a s a n u n u s u a l f l a v o r a n d i s a g r e a t a c c o m p a n i m e n t f o r l i g h t c u r r i e s a n d b r e d i e s .
A l s o y o u c a n t r y i t a s a s p r e a d o n b u t t e r e d b r e a d , T h e u n u s u a l f l a v o r m a k e s t h i s a g r e a t t a s t e t r e a t

::
www.indianfoodforever.com/chutney/banana-chutney.html
BANANA CHUTNEY RECIPE


Ingredients:


6 Bananas (Kela), ripe
3/4 cup Vinegar (Sirka)
3 teaspoons Salt (Namak)
1/8 teaspoon of Cinnamon (Dalchini) powder
2 ground Cloves (Lavang)
2 big cardamoms (Elaichi Moti)
1/2 teaspoon Red chili pepper (Lal Mirchi)
1 1/2 cups of Sugar (Cheeni)
4 teaspoons Raisins (Kishmish)
4 teaspoons blanched Almond (Badam)

How to make banana chutney:

* Peel and chop bananas.
* Cook with vinegar to a pulp and then stir in sugar until it dissolves.
* Remove from the fire, raisins, almonds (slit into halves), salt, chili powder and ground spices.
* Cool, stir and pour into clean jars and cork tightly.
* Serve after 2 days.

Recipe Finds: Using the vile Durian that the Bizarre Foods host won't eat

Andrew Zimmerm hosts Travel Channel's Bizzare Food TV show. Many items that most find disgusting he likes and eats. However one he does not like is the durian, a stinky fruit. Here is a recipe in case you find it. I don't think I will but you can.

Durian Ice Cream

By Rhonda Parkinson, About.com

While durian is not native to China, both China and Hong Kong are major import markets for this distinctive looking fruit. The sweet flavor and thick texture of durian makes it perfect for ice cream. Use fresh durian if possible.

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 segments fresh, frozen or canned durian, as needed to make 4 ounces durian paste
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 cup whole milk

Preparation:

Remove the seeds from the durian. Use an electric mixer to mix the flesh into a paste. Press the paste through a fine sieve. You should have 4 ounces durian paste at this point. (If not, use more durian). Chill the durian paste until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla essence and sugar.

Bring the milk and cream to a near boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the egg mixture, stirring constantly to thicken. Take care not to let the mixture boil, or the milk will curdle (if you see bubbles forming at the edge of the saucepan, take it off the stove element).

Allow the custard to cool. Chill the custard in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes, until it is just beginning to harden. Gradually stir in the durian paste, a tablespoon at a time.

Either continue freezing, stirring several times throughout, or finish the ice cream in an ice cream maker.

Eric's Turkey Red Grape Salad- My way

I have many cookbooks but sometimes it is easy and more efficient to find a recipe via Google and the internet. I made this recipe from two other ones I selected while browsing the internet on cooks.com. Here is my version and the two others that you can use. Let me know if you try them or your own spins on these. My Eric’s Turkey salad I rated 9.2/10 good for this winter but possibly for spring/summer chicken or turkey salad. I like the horseradish taste of the wasabi (use regular horseradish if you don't have it) with the orange pieces and the crunch of the almonds and the red cabbage.

Eric’s Turkey salad
by Eric Flescher
2 c. chicken or turkey (cubed)
1 tsp cajun seasoning
0.5 cups of red grapes (split in half)
1 c. mandarin oranges (use juice for dressing )
Lettuce or endive leaves
0.5 cup of sliced, cut up red cabbage (raw)

dressing
3 to 4 tbsp. slivered almonds ( raw from grocery store)
0.5 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing ( with 1 tspn wasabi mayonnaise (find at Asian or regular grocery store: optional )
Juice of o.5 lemon
pinch of pepper


Cube turkey into medium-size pieces. Add seasoning to Turkey cubes. Add and other ingredients with Turkey. Add dressing ingredients. Mix dressing the salad. Makes 4 servings.




MANDARIN CHICKEN SALAD
cooks.com

2 c. chicken or turkey (cubed)
1 tbsp. minced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 c. seedless green grapes
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. mandarin oranges (drained)
1 c. salad dressing
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 c. cooked macaroni rings
1 c. whipped cream or Cool Whip

Combine chicken or turkey, onion and salt. Refrigerate for several hours. Add grapes, celery, oranges, almonds, salad dressing and macaroni rings. Fold in whipped cream just before serving. Serves 12.

TURKEY, CELERY, GRAPE & NUT SALAD
cook.com

2 c. cubed turkey
1/2 c. grapes
1/2 c. sliced celery
3 to 4 tbsp. almonds
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Grated rind of 1/2 orange
1 c. mayonnaise
Lettuce or endive leaves

Cube turkey into medium-size pieces. Slice celery. Dip almonds into boiling water, remove skins. Brown halved nuts in moderate oven 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and orange rind to mayonnaise. Mix turkey and other ingredients into mayonnaise. Arrange on lettuce. Makes 4 servings. I have many cookbooks but sometimes it is easy and more efficient to find a recipe via Google and the internet. I made this recipe from two other ones I saw in cooks.com.


Eric’s Turkey salad
by Eric Flescher
2 c. chicken or turkey (cubed)
1 tsp cajun seasoning
.5 cups of red grapes
1 c. mandarin oranges (drained )
3 to 4 tbsp. slivered almonds ( raw from grocery store)
1 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing ( with 1 tspn wasabi mayonnaise (find at Asian or regular grocery store: optional )
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Lettuce or endive leaves

Cube turkey into medium-size pieces. Add seasoning. Slice celery. Add grapes, oranges and almonds. Add lemon juice and mayonnaises. Mix turkey and other ingredients into mayonnaise. Arrange on lettuce. Makes 4 servings.




MANDARIN CHICKEN SALAD
cooks.com

2 c. chicken or turkey (cubed)
1 tbsp. minced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 c. seedless green grapes
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. mandarin oranges (drained)
1 c. salad dressing
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 c. cooked macaroni rings
1 c. whipped cream or Cool Whip

Combine chicken or turkey, onion and salt. Refrigerate for several hours. Add grapes, celery, oranges, almonds, salad dressing and macaroni rings. Fold in whipped cream just before serving. Serves 12.

TURKEY, CELERY, GRAPE & NUT SALAD
cook.com

2 c. cubed turkey
1/2 c. grapes
1/2 c. sliced celery
3 to 4 tbsp. almonds
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Grated rind of 1/2 orange
1 c. mayonnaise
Lettuce or endive leaves

Cube turkey into medium-size pieces. Slice celery. Dip almonds into boiling water, remove skins. Brown halved nuts in moderate oven 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and orange rind to mayonnaise. Mix turkey and other ingredients into mayonnaise. Arrange on lettuce. Makes 4 servings.

PINEAPPLE-CASCABEL CHILE SAUCE

This sauce is good for mahi mahi or for other fish but I tried it on turkey (or you can try chicken). This sauce was good with turkey as a sandwich. 9.4/10

PAN ROASTED MAHI MAHI WITH ROASTED PINEAPPLE-CASCABEL CHILE SAUCE AND CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE-GREEN ONION SALSA
Serves 4

Ingredients for Roasted Pineapple-Cascabel Chile Sauce
1 medium whole pineapple,
1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
8 cascabel chiles, stems removed and soaked in hot water for 30 minutes until soft ( I used : guaiji chilies instead as they are easier to find and have a smokey flavor with mild heat like casabel)
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method for Roasted Pineapple-Cascabel Chile Sauce

1. Preheat broiler. Cut off the leaves and about a 1/2 inch of the top and bottom of the fruit. Do not peel the pineapple.
2. Place the pineapple on its side on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil the pineapple until it is blackened on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
3. When cool enough to handle, cut off the pineapple skin by slicing down from top to bottom along each row of eyes (as revealed by your first cut). Your knife should be behind the eyes at approximately a 45-degree angle. Don't try to cut off too much of the peel at once or you will take a lot of good fruit with it. Coarsely chop the pineapple and set aside.
4. Combine the pineapple juice, cider vinegar, cloves, allspice, ancho powder and cascabel chiles in a large non-reactive saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the fresh pineapple and cook until the pineapple is very soft and starts to break down.
5. Transfer mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Strain through a strainer into a saucepan and return to the stove over medium heat. Whisk in the honey and season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

Iron chef looses in brain freeze melon battle

I new it was going to be close as I analyzed the judging during the Brain freeze and melon battle. Garcia really had great recipes and did nothing wrong. He was versatile, creative and was the judges loved all of the dishes except for one little comment. It got closer I felt when Flays entrees were engaging and creative as well. I thought that eventhough I felt Garcia had the edge due to these comments. I picked, a number before the final judging as I always do, Flay by +2 as I felt the Iron Chef edge but did not feel good about it. I was right. Garcia won by +1 so I was close in my analysis but hit the wrong chef.

Lot of good melon and frozen recipes. I went looking for something with Watermelon and strawberry type soup as I wanted to find something cold to make with watermelon for dinner. It was more difficult then I thought. But here are recipes I will try and you might like to try.


Watermelon Strawberry Soup

4 C seed watermelon (the watermelon HAD to get used and who could face
another slice??)
2 ripe banansa, peeled
1 C apple cider or juice
1 C plain non fat yogurt
1/2 t cinnamon
2 ice cubes
2 C sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 C cold mint tea
fresh mint sprigs

In blender, puree melon, bananas, cider, yoghurt, cinnamon and ice cubes
til smooth. Pour into a pitcher or a bowl, add sliced berries and mint tea.
Chill 1 hour. serve with mint sprigs.
**

Keep your berries fresher

Berries don't last long. One trick was to not only put the berries in the refrigerator but also to put them in baggy ziplock. More at

http://www.gsnrecipes.com/gsn/news2.cfm?item_no=2576

Question:What is the lemon zest and a lemon zester ?

Question:What is the lemon zest and a lemon zester ? Are there different kinds of zesters and how and what ways are they used? What kinds of recipes can be used?

Many recipes call for grated zest or peel. These zests provide an intense active flavoring to the food or recipe. For example 1 medium lemon equals approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. You can buy zest at your local food stores. But the foodstuff is not fresh and has lost the flavoraful oils. Why not make your own?

Lemon Zest is the outermost part of the rind of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit are pretty but these can be used in other ways. The zest can be used for flavoring with many recipes.

First get a lemon, lime, orange whatever the recipes call for . The zests are part of the citrus fruits outer covering. On a lemon, the zest is the yellow part of the peel on the outside of a lemon. It has an intense lemon/citrus flavor. There is a hint of bitterness. The bitterness is usually found in the white part of the lemon. When removing the skin from lemons or other citrus fruits, use ONLY the thin outer zest or colored yellow part. If you remove some white, you have "gone too far". You will get a bitter taste which is not what you want.

Lemon Zester tool can remove the zest of a lemon in long strips. Tiny holes cut and create thin threadlike strips of peel. A vegetable peeler or a small, sharp knife like instrument is okay to use if you don't have a zester.

A Lemon Grater is a finer way of grating the outer part of the peel.

I also found more information about lemons that I did not know.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/lemons.htm

I know about lemons. I knew that sailors used citrus fruits to combat the illness scurvy. However I did not know they added rum to the lemon.

(1) Room-temperature lemons or limes will give more juice than the refrigerated ones. So I think the best way is to let them rest on the counter for awhile before using.

(2) Microwaving the lemon or lime for a few seconds before squeezing will help give more juice.

(3) Use your palm to roll lemon or lime around on the countertop a few times before squeezing. (I have done this before but I got out of the habit. A hand is a very versatile tool).

(4) Just need a few drops? This recommended site says to "pierce the skin with a toothpick and squeeze out what you need. To store it, reinsert the toothpick, put the lemon or lime into a plastic bag, and refrigerate." ( I need to do that. Frequently I just left the lemon in the crisper instead of in a plastic bag that I usually use for onions and other veggies and fruits).

Lemons are an interesting fruit. Here is more information about making lemon zest about these yellow fruits.

http://www.answers.com/bb/bbsearch.jsp?Q=how%20to%20make%20lemon%20zest

You can also see how to make and use zest in this video by a chef for sweet potato pone in this video cooking class on traditional Southern recipes.

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/38166_sweet-potato-lemon.htm

Here is a simple dish that uses zest
http://www.trinigourmet.com/?p=1162

Pasta with Basil, Tomatoes & Lemon Zest
——————————————————————————–
Ingredients:
4 big ripe tomatoes (1-1/2 lbs), coarsely chopped
zest from 1/2 lemon (yellow part only, none of the white) in 1-inch slivers
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1-2 teaspoon salt
black pepper, freshly ground
spaghetti to serve

Directions:
1. Put a tiny pot of water on the stove to boil while you start to chop the vegetables.
2. When it comes to the boil, blanch the lemon zest for a few seconds - then drain.
3. Mix together in a large bowl all ingredients EXCEPT the spaghetti. Let it sit for 1 to 4 hours, giving it a stir now and then.

4. When you are ready to eat, cook the pasta according to the package directions, as usual, drain, and add it to the tomato mix. Toss. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately.

Do you have a favorite dish that uses zest? send it to me and I will post it on my blog.
Enjoy!

I've never made biscuits from scratch -seeing this Throwdown I think I will try

Biscuits from scratch -I might just try after seeing this Throwdown with Bobby Flay and Nashville biscuit Queen. I also love blackberry and Blueberry Jam. But as always Flay bring new flavors and they sound good. Well they were so good he won this throwdown with this recipe which I must try. I will report back when I try my hand at making my own biscuits.


Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2008
See this recipe on air Sunday Jan. 27 at 1:00 AM ET/PT.
Show: Throwdown with Bobby Flay
Episode: Biscuits and Jam
Orange-Blueberry Jam:
6 cups prepared fruit, about 6 medium oranges and 4 lemons
1 1/2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
6 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl plus 1/4 cup, divided
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine
1 1/2 pouches fruit pectin
2 cups fresh blueberries

Biscuits
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 4 tablespoons, melted
1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, not super fine and not coarse, somewhere in between

For the jam:
Using a vegetable peeler remove the zest of the oranges and lemons. Cut the zest pieces into thin slices, then finely chop or grind and set aside. Peel and discard remaining white part of the peel from fruit. Chop fruit pulp, reserving any juice and set aside. Place the peels, water and baking soda in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the reserved fruit and juice and cover. Simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Stir the 6 cups sugar into the prepared fruit in the saucepan. Add the butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup sugar. Place into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Stir into the finished marmalade. Serve at room temperature.

For the biscuits:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a dough cutter, combine until ingredients are incorporated. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the top of the flour mixture and continue to combine until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and pulse until the mixture just begins to come together.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly flour counter. Pat the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut out biscuits. Press together the scraps of dough, and repeat process. Place the biscuits on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper; brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.