There’s a real art to finding good recipes. Some people have the ability to analyze a recipe the moment they see it on paper, and know almost immediately if it’s a keeper, without ever tasting or seeing the finished product.
I don’t know that anyone does this better than my lovely wife – and the following banana bread recipe is one she hunted down in an old, creased and worn cookbook, in the back of my mother-in-law’s cabinet behind all of the newer, bright, colourful, cookbooks which usually grab my attention.
It’s simple. It’s great. And it gets rid of those week old bananas beginning to blacken in the bottom of your fruit bowl.
What more can you ask for, really?
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Aunt Mary’s Banana Bread
Adapted from Granny’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs and mashed bananas. Sift dry ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture. Fold in nuts (optional).
- Pour into greased 9x5x3″ loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour.
Filed under: Recipe on June 11th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Grilling fish directly on the grates can be both wonderful and a nightmare. The flames add such a great flavour to the fish, but you are constantly battling flare ups, sticking skin, and your beautiful piece of fish flaking apart on the grill.
This simple method of essentially steaming fish on the grill is a fantastic way to make sure your dish comes out perfect every time. There is little cleanup, no chance of flare ups, and the aroma when you open the foil packets is divine.
Serving the packets as is on plates is also a great presentation and talking piece.
Feel free to experiment with any aromatic vegetables or herbs. The wonderful recipe below including lemon, basil and rosemary marries up in a deliciously intoxicating symphony from the moment you unwrap the packets and allow the steam to escape.
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Is that a Halibut in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 cup baby spinach
4 pieces halibut (8 ounces each)
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
4 bay leaves
4 rosemary sprigs
1/4 cup plus
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation:
- Heat grill to Medium-High. In a small bowl combine Italian seasoning, red-pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Set spices aside.
- Place four 14-inch squares of aluminum foil on counter top. Dividing evenly, place spinach and onion on each square (leaving a 2-inch border). Top with fish; sprinkle with spice mixture. Top with tomato and lemon slices then drizzle with oil. Place bay leaf and rosemary sprig next to each piece of fish.
- Fold up both sides of foil over ingredients; crimp top edge to seal. Flip packet over and fold sides in to complete seal.
- Place packets on grill. Cover and grill until fish is just cooked through, about 15 minutes, flipping once half way through. Remove packets from grill; open carefully (hot steam will escape), and transfer fish to serving plates.
Filed under: Method, Recipe on June 7th, 2010 | Comments Off on Is that a Halibut in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
I was in a creative mood, and also really had a craving for some onion rings. As I began to think about the drawbacks of having onion breath the rest of the night, I thought what about if we took that theme and ran with it. Stink-breath be damned! A triple hit of onion with garlic mayo.
I probably don’t recommend you ever try this on a first date – but maybe every subsequent one… These hamburgers were incredible. The compounded texture of the crisp green onion, the crunchy onion rings, the soft succulent caramelized onions. The marriage of the savoury garlic-herb mayo with the bold, smokey BBQ sauce. The perfect trio of onion flavour that make this hamburger recipe one of my all time Top 10.
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The First Date Burger
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 package onion rings, prepared (with real, not processed, onions!)
2 Vidalia onions, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 pound ground beef
4 hamburger rolls
2 tablespoons garlic mayonnaise spread
2 green onions (white sliced thin, green slice into 1 inch pieces)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
Preparation:
- Begin to prepare the onion rings as per directions.
- Heat a large skillet over Medium-High heat. Heat oil and then add slices onions and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
- Heat grill to Medium-High heat. Form ground beef into patties and season with salt and pepper. Place hamburgers on grill and cook until desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium, turning once only. Before removing hamburgers from grill, brush liberally with barbecue sauce.
- To compile sandwich, spread mayonaisse on bun tops and sprinkle with green onions. Place one hamburger on each bun bottom, top with caramelized onions and onion rings. Enjoy!
Filed under: Recipe on June 1st, 2010 | 1 Comment »
