Archive for the ‘what’s cooking wednesday’ Category
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Louise’s Banana Cake (Moistest Banana Cake Ever)
Since March has again turned colder and since I just happened to have some overripe bananas laying around, I decided to do some baking yesterday.
Wait, are you suggesting that I purposely didn’t eat those bananas the past few days just so I could make Louise’s Banana Cake?
Oh, dear blog readers, you know me too well.
So, as mentioned, this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday is Louise’s Banana Cake. Perhaps you remember that my mom’s name is Mary, and my grandmother was Paulina/Pauline; if so, maybe you’re wondering who this Louise character is.
Louise was my grandmother’s neighbor and “good buddy,” as she always said, whose family surely has no idea that her legacy lives on in my family in the form of an old, tattered recipe.
Louise's Banana Cake Original Recipe
Yes, it’s that good. In fact, it’s my second favorite cake of all time, after only the chocolate one I shared with you last month.
When writing this post, I remembered that I actually have some old family photos in an album here, and lo and behold, there is one of my grandmother (left) and Louise lounging about in what was at the time our half of the backyard; my family now has the whole thing (without the dividing fence) because after the whole row of houses burned down in 1971–stopping at our house–Louise’s family chose not to rebuild on the same spot; my grandparents bought the entire lot and built the house that I and my brother grew up in and where my father now lives. Check out that car in the background y’all!
My grandmother and Louise of Banana Cake fame in our backyard
Ahem, right. The recipe.
It’s for an ordinary 13 x 9 pan, but this time I made muffins and a loaf (looks like bread but tastes like cake!).
My mom does a fabulous thing with this cake for special occasions–makes a whipped cream icing (recipe also below) and then does a layer cake, putting the whipped cream and fresh banana slices in the middle and then whipped cream, banana slices, and maraschino cherries on top with a sprinkling of walnut shavings. Yum!
For those of you in Italy, you can safely make the following substitutions: (1) 225 grams of butter instead of shortening; and (2) one teaspoon of “lievito vaniglinato per dolci” in place of the baking powder and vanilla extract.
Louise’s Banana Cake
Banana cupcake waiting for its espresso
1 c mashed bananas (2 medium, overripe)
1 1/2 c sugar
1 c vegetable shortening
3 eggs
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c sour milk (add 2 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to sour it)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped nuts (optional)
1. Mash bananas and set aside.
2. Mix together sugar and shortening, and then add eggs and beat until pale yellow.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients, and then add them to the sugar/shortening mixture, alternating with sour milk and vanilla. Batter will be thick.
4. Add bananas and the nuts if you’re using them, and beat until blended.
5. Pour or spoon into your baking vessel of choice and bake at 325°F (162°C). If baking a 13 x9 cake, it should take about 45 minutes, but check progress after a half hour or so. Muffins and loaf pans will take less time, so remove when the tops springs back from the touch and/or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Whipped Cream Icing
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Whip (on high speed) until stiff peaks form.
Banana cupcake: Nom nom nom
Buon appetito!
Recipe: Cannelloni with Ricotta and Spinach
A delicious recipe for a hearty dish of cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach.
Read on...what’s cooking wednesday: risotto with pancetta & peas
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I love rice, but we don’t eat a whole lot of it because P was brought up, ironically, on the three Ps: pasta, pane, and pizza. So I figured that maybe if I threw things in with the rice that started with the letter P, maybe that would fly.
Clever, aren’t I?
So for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday we have a delicious, quick risotto with pancetta (bacon if you must) and peas, which, if you’re wondering, are “piselli” in Italian, keeping the P theme alive.
FYI, it took me about 35-40 minutes from chopping to eating.
I used fresh peas that had been shelled and then frozen, but there’s no reason you can’t use canned peas–although it will change the flavor and for goodness’ sake, don’t cook them nearly as long or you’ll end up with a big ole mushy mess.
Ah, and another thing, I’m with Karen who says stir your risotto as often as you like and in any direction you see fit.
I trust you.
Risotto with Pancetta & Peas
(serves 4)
2 tbl olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 lb of pancetta, cubed
8 oz frozen peas
1 cup rice
1/2 glass white wine
1 1/2 cup broth
1 pat of butter
3 tbl grated parmegiano reggiano
Heat olive oil in large pan and add pancetta and onion. Let them cook for 3 or 4 minutes and then add the peas, still frozen. Mix well and cook until defrosted–just a few minutes.
At this point, add the rice and stir the mixture together, letting everyone get acquainted for a minute or two, and then add the wine.
Turn up the heat so the wine evaporates, and when it does, add some broth–enough so that it covers the risotto.
This will need to cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat with you stirring as you prefer (see note above referencing Karen). If you’re wondering how I do it, let’s just say it doesn’t involve continually stirring in perfect circles, and I think my risotto turned out great.
Within those 20 minutes, when you see the mixture getting dry, add some more broth.
When the rice is cooked to your satisfaction, mix in a dab of butter and grated cheese.
Turn off the heat and let the risotto sit for five minutes, then serve.
Buon appetito!
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[tags]risotto, risotto recipes, peas, pancetta, recipes, what’s cooking wednesday, cooking[/tags]
Recipe: Ham and Cabbage Soup
This ham and cabbage soup is comfort food at its finest. Easy too!
Read on...what’s cooking wednesday: spaghetti alla carbonara
Today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday recipe is a fast (ready in a half hour) pasta dish made to stick to your ribs. It’s great for a last minute meal as you probably have all the ingredients at home right now.
What? No spaghetti? Some people sure are strange.
The origins of Spaghetti all carbonara are unclear, although it’s usually attributed to Rome. All we know for sure is that “carbonara” comes from the Italian word for coal, “carbone.” Beyond that, some suspect this tasty plate came about because:
(1) it was prepared for coalminers;
(2) it was originally made over charcoal grills;
(3) it was invented by the Carbonari, an Italian secret society (not to be confused with the carabinieri); or
(4) the pancetta and black pepper in the dish look like little bits of coal.
That last one kinda grosses me out, and you know I’m fond of conspiracy theories and whatnot, so let’s opt for the secret society explanation for the sake of this post, umkay?
However it came about, Spaghetti alla carbonara gained popularity around World War II when Italians began to eat bacon and eggs shipped over for American troops; thereafter, soldiers returning from the war took home a delicious pasta dish along with a victory.
There are many, many different recipes out there for Spaghetti alla carbonara, but I’m giving you the one we eat in our house–no cream, no bells and whistles, a real just the facts ma’am kind of plate.
And it’s wonderful if I do say so myself.
By the way, you can certainly substitute bacon here, but if you can find some Italian-style bacon, aka, pancetta, do splurge.
It’s worth it.
Spaghetti alla carbonara
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 thick slices pancetta, diced
1 tbsp chopped parsley
3 eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper
1 package (500 g) spaghetti
First, put on the water to boil for the pasta.
Now put the olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat, and then add the onions, garlic, pancetta, and almost all of the parsley, leaving some for garnishing if you like. Let this cook for about 2 to 3 minutes–just don’t let the pancetta dry out. When it’s done, stick a lid on it to keep it warm.
In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, cheese, salt, and black pepper.
Tip: to regulate salt, taste a piece of the cooked pancetta and also pay attention to how salty your cheese is. Remember you’ll be cooking your pasta in salted water, so you shouldn’t need much salt added to the egg mixture. A dash of black pepper should be plenty.
Once the water is boiling, add salt and cook the pasta until al dente and drain.
Now return the pasta to the empty but still warm pot and stir in the egg mixture, letting the heat cook the eggs. You can turn the burner on low here, but just be sure the eggs aren’t sticking. If I happen to be using an undesirable egg-cooking kind of pot, I drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom before adding the pasta and egg mixture to prevent a sticky mess.
Once the eggs are cooked, transfer the mixture into the pan with the pancetta and mix together well. If the pancetta isn’t hot enough for your liking, turn the burner on low until you’re finished combining.
Sprinkle on a little fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Note that this recipe is meant for one package of spaghetti, so if you’ll be making more pasta, adjust everything else accordingly.
Buon appetito!
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[tags] spaghetti alla carbonara, carbonara, pasta recipes, pancetta, eggs, cooking, what’s cooking wednesday[/tags]
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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