What's Cooking (Take Two!)

Yeah, but it's not as FUN as kitchen/dining behavior mods. So screw dat!

I'm sure we both remember fondly the old MTV credo: "Too much is never enough." So no - keep 'em coming!

Although....I guess I should have specified I'm more interested in playing around with savory concoctions. Banana pancakes, in wontons of various nationalities, etc., are all great (with special mention of your Black Forest suggestion - that sounds like a winner ), but not for her so much. (Lol...maybe the banana liquor would be an exception.)

I recall reading "Clinging to the Wreckage" by John Mortimer some years ago, and in it he describes his pre-war dinners frequently featured "that old staple, beef-and-bananas" (may not be exactly verbatim, but that was the gist). I've never seen it mentioned since, so it's rather shock to see you dredge it up here. I've always been curious, so now I'll go search it out. Thanks!

(BTW, there was a fantastic passage in "Clinging" where Mortimer recounts a train ride across England just post-war. In the dining car he opens the menu and under "Desserts" is listed ice cream. Just ice cream, with no further description. He calls the waiter over. The following is as I remember it being written: "What flavor is the ice cream" I asked. "Oh, no flavor sir." And he was correct.)

The problem with savory concoctions is that the banana is fundamentally sweet. Switching to plantains might open more savory doors.

Make Major Grey's chutney with banana (or plantain) instead of mango.

Maybe some old school recipes will spark a thought: https://whatscookinvt.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/banana_6.jpg

The problem with savory concoctions is that the banana is fundamentally sweet. Switching to plantains might open more savory doors.

Make Major Grey's chutney with banana (or plantain) instead of mango.

Maybe some old school recipes will spark a thought: https://whatscookinvt.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/banana_6.jpg

Wow, that IS old school. Thanks for digging that up, Jeff. It was a hoot to read! Good call on the chutney, too.

Personally, I don't consider sweet ingredients to be an outlier in savory dishes. Think fruit heavy curries of the Caribbean and elsewhere, sweet Thai chili sauce, even some classic European dishes (like one of my favorites: Chicken Veronique).

Anyway, all great idea and they're much appreciated. Thanks again!

[Jenise]

I just spent ten days in Costa Rica (a vacation I'll never forget if for no other reason than a sprained ankle caused a lesser recurrence of the horrendous leg infection I had earlier this year and which has required hospital time since returning home and a grossly inconvenient need to keep my left foot higher than my heart for the foreseeable future) where bananas grow wild in abundance. All kinds of bananas, big and tiny, long and short, sweet and savory, bunches of which hang in kitchens so often do they use them. Since we opted for 'tico' cuisine whenever possible, we ate a lot of them while there. My favorite prep? A savory banana, somewhat plantain-like in texture but shorter, fatter and pinker in the flesh, that was slit down the long way, filled with cheese and a bit of cinnamon, then lightly rolled in sugar and baked until the sugar formed a shatterable little crust. OH MY GOSH. SO good. That was served with the classic Costa Rican breakfast of gallo pinto (rice and beans). A regular plantain would do this job quite well. Also, in the Carribean, I once had thin plantain chips which were fried then dusted with salt and some kind of chili powder for liberally garnishing curries. This can be done earlier in the day and then oven-baked to crisp up just before serving.

Just two ideas and I don't have any others, but both are interesting preparations though not as inventive as what you came up with. I love the banana arancini!

A savory banana, somewhat plantain-like in texture but shorter, fatter and pinker in the flesh, that was slit down the long way, filled with cheese and a bit of cinnamon, then lightly rolled in sugar and baked until the sugar formed a shatterable little crust. OH MY GOSH. SO good.

Ok, THIS is something that is definitely going on the menu. Thanks Jenise!

Wow, that IS old school. Thanks for digging that up, Jeff. It was a hoot to read! Good call on the chutney, too.

1928.

[Jenise]

A savory banana, somewhat plantain-like in texture but shorter, fatter and pinker in the flesh, that was slit down the long way, filled with cheese and a bit of cinnamon, then lightly rolled in sugar and baked until the sugar formed a shatterable little crust. OH MY GOSH. SO good.

Ok, THIS is something that is definitely going on the menu. Thanks Jenise!

Too bad we can't get all kinds of neat bananas here like they have there. I got to taste one of the bananas my tiny hotel kitchen used in the above, because our room was right next to the kitchen and I was laid up there all afternoon after the accident which gave me the opportunity to watch wildlife come to my window, including these adorable raccoon-like creatures called coattimundi and some small white-faced monkeys. The kitchen gave me the bananas to feed them, so I took a taste. To most people they'd lack sweetness, but that's only because of the expectation of sweetness where all things banana are concerned. I thought they were delicious!

I can find several kinds at the Mexican groceries here but I don't know one plantain from another.

I wonder how to find that out?

I'm sure that we don't have anywhere near the variety of C.R.

[Jenise]

I can find several kinds at the Mexican groceries here but I don't know one plantain from another.

I wonder how to find that out?

I'm sure that we don't have anywhere near the variety of C.R.

No, down there they have hundreds--it's probably comparable to apples in America, of which there are some 2500 varieties. But most grocers who carry a variety of bananas probably would be able to advise which are cooking bananas and which are table bananas.

Venison pot pie tonight. Very pretty meat from New Zealand, three kinds of mushrooms and a bunch of root vegetables, Rioja and broth, lingonberries and grated dark chocolate. A hearty, earthy gravy.

[Jenise]

Jeff, that sounds AMAZING. Certainly beats the Trader Joe's chicken pot pie we're going to have! But hey, I'm a cripple. Might serve a Bordeaux with it to up the elegance a bit.

[Jenise]

Pork chops, seared and baked in a gratin with potatoes, onions and green chiles. Still crippled, so not doing anything fancy.

Sichuan stir-fried ground pork with hot peppers.

-Paul W.

Last night, it was quesadillas made with sliced roast beef, horseradish creme fraiche, Danish fontina, and arugula. These scored high on the wife appreciation-o-meter.

Last night, it was quesadillas made with sliced roast beef, horseradish creme fraiche, Danish fontina, and arugula. These scored high on the wife appreciation-o-meter.

Quite the transcultural quesadilla!

Nice that you can think outside the box.

Last night, it was quesadillas made with sliced roast beef, horseradish creme fraiche, Danish fontina, and arugula. These scored high on the wife appreciation-o-meter.

Quite the transcultural quesadilla!

Nice that you can think outside the box.

I've found some flour tortillas made by MIchaela's that I just love. They're thicker than usual and the puff up nicely under the broiler. I've been making more traditional quesadillas pretty frequently because of this but figured I'd best get a little more creative or there'd be a revolt from the rest of the family.

[Jenise]

Tonight's the neighborhood wine group's annual Christmas party. Our biggest and most ambitious ever with 80 guests. As usual, I'm both event manager and head chef/kitchen manager. I've hired a caterer to do the paellas (theme is Feliz Navidad), and I have a staff of 39 others who are handling everything from the music playlist to emceeing to decorations, graphics, set up, load in, wine pouring--you name it. I personally, with three helpers, made all the hors d'ouvres plus the peach gazpacho (recipe's been posted here). Another team made all the desserts.

Big day!!!

[Robin Garr]

\Big day!!!

I should say so! Break a leg, or break a plate, or whatever the appropriate wish is ...

Big day!!!

Make a timpano so it can be a Big Night, too!

Tonight's the neighborhood wine group's annual Christmas party. Our biggest and most ambitious ever with 80 guests. As usual, I'm both event manager and head chef/kitchen manager. I've hired a caterer to do the paellas (theme is Feliz Navidad), and I have a staff of 39 others who are handling everything from the music playlist to emceeing to decorations, graphics, set up, load in, wine pouring--you name it. I personally, with three helpers, made all the hors d'ouvres plus the peach gazpacho (recipe's been posted here). Another team made all the desserts.

Big day!!!

Do you have PMP training? I know certified Project Managers who can't handle a team of 39.

I made French onion soup last night.

-Paul W.

I also made soup last night, but mine was a variant on Portuguese kale-sausage soup, with kale, chard, and Spanish Chorizo.

[Jenise]

Do you have PMP training? I know certified Project Managers who can't handle a team of 39.

Like border collies are born to herd, I was born to administrate. A career in cost and scheduling industrial mega-projects at Fluor gave me the tools for forecasting, and I've honed the leadership skills needed to manage volunteers on the job.

But I'm exhausted. Today the only volunteer I want to manage has four paws and whiskers.

[Jenise]

Tonight: braised lamb shank.