Banana-Walnut Loaf

Aside from the fried/baked pork dish that I cooked, I also baked banana-walnut loaf.  There wasn't any special reason other than the fact that I had bananas that were getting too ripe for my liking.  I do not even know why I bought bananas in the first place since I am not much of banana eater.  Maybe I was thinking of making a shake or something but for some reason I got sidetracked and ended up with overripe ones...hehehe...no problem though as this dish save them.



Bananas. by the way, are great ingredients in making your smoothie a lot creamier without adding too much milk or dairy products.  It can even be used instead of the dairy products.  I slice them about an inch to a couple of inches in size and then wrap them in parchment paper and freezer bags.  Pop them in the freezer until they are frozen and use them instead of ice to make a smoother and creamier smoothie.  I believe I posted about this tip somewhere in the blog about a year ago.



Anyways, I had some overripe bananas and free time so I baked these babies.  I used a little bit of olive oil along with the butter when I made these.  The result is a very moist and slightly dense banana cake that taste really good.  They taste even better the following day...even after they have been in the fridge overnight.  To make them soft and moist after being the fridge, I usually pop a slice in the microwave and heat for about 10-15 seconds but the time will be dependent on your microwave.




This morning I had a cup of coffee with a slice of banana walnut loaf  and a very hilarious episode of a Korean drama that is currently airing entitled "A Gentleman's Dignity"  It stars Jang Dong Gun and Kim Haneul along with a bunch of other korean actors/actresses.  Jang starred in an American movie entitled "A Warrio's Way" with Kate Bosworth in 2010.  I only watched the first part of that movie but it didn't pique my interest so I didn't finish the entire movie.  A Gentleman's Dignity though is different-it is hilarious, witty, sexy, crazy, heart-warming, and heart-wretching all at the same time.  The dialogue exchanges between Haneul and Dong-gun are really good. Right now, they have about six episodes out and I cannot wait for the next installment.  I didn't think I would say this but the writer (who is also the writer for Secret Garden which I did not like)  is doing a good job and hope she will continue to do so until the end....




Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

4 large ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F


2. Spray loaf baking pan with non-stick spray or coat evenly with oil.


3. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well and set aside


4. In another mixing bowl, add butter, olive oil, honey,and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.


5. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.


6. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla.  Mix well.


7. Add flour-baking soda mixture and mix into the batter.  Do not overmix .  


8. Stir in walnuts and transfer to a loaf baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.


9. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Linguine Fini in Creamy Arugula-Walnut Pesto Sauce with Crispy Prosciutto

I went grocery shopping yesterday, the second time for the week, and bought prosciutto di parma, arugula, walnuts and other basic ingredients. I could not wait to get home as I already have something in mind that I wanted to eat. Went home and started making arugula-walnut pesto which is a variation on the original pesto sauce with the substitution of arugula and walnuts in place of basil and pine nuts. It is a less pricey alternative to the expensive pine nuts and basil (darn, I need to grown my own as these babies are getting pricier each time I shop for them)and pine nuts but taste just as good. Arugula usually has a rich, peppery taste but surprisingly mellows when placed in combination with the other ingredients in pesto sauce.

After I finished making the pesto sauce, I proceeded to making a creamy pesto pasta with crispy prosciutto. Uhhmmm...yummy good. Nothing can beat a crispy piece of pork, right? Prosciutto di parma is a little bit pricey at $20+++ per pound but so worth it. I usually like to wrap it in around melon slices and eat as an appetizer...ahhh, that one taste heavenly...hehehe. Prosciuttio is Italian for ham. Some of the most famous places where prosciutto are made includes Parma and San Daniele. It makes one think what is up with these Italians and food, right? Hahaha, they must have been blessed by the food gods or something. Anyways, the creamy pesto is quite easy to make and didn't take me long to finish the dish.



Ingredients:

Arugula Pesto Sauce:
2 cups fresh arugula leaves, stems removed
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place walnuts andarugula in food processor.
2. Process until it is grinded. Scrape the sides with spatula.
3. Add olive oil in steady stream while continuing to process using a food processor.
4. Add garlic and grated parmigiano reggiano. Blend until well incorporated.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer to a container then set aside

Pasta:

1/2 lb linguine fini

1. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add salt and oil before adding pasta.
2. Cook according to direction.
3. Save some of the pasta water before draining water from pasta using a colander.
4. Set aside.

Creamy Pesto Sauce with Crispy Prosciutto:

3-4 pieces of prosciutto
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup arugula walnut pesto sauce
2/3 cup heavy cream


1. Heat pan over medium low and add olive oil. Fry prosciutto until crispy then remove from heat and transfer to paper towel lined plate.
2. Discard all but 1 Tbsp of the oil from the same pan where you fried prosciutto.
3. Add pesto sauce and heat gently.
4. When pesto sauce has warmed thoroughly, add cream. Mix well to make sure that pesto is incorporated well into the cream.
5. Simmer for 2 minutes before tossing pasta in. Coat pasta with the sauce.
6. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.
7. Top with crispy prosciutto.

Walnut Crusted Tuna Steak

This is the main dish that came with the sauteed swiss chard which I had as a very late (ok, really early? breakfast) dinner at around 1 a.m. I had so much to do that day that I didn't really have time to sit down and eat. I defrosted the tuna in the refrigerator the night before intending to cook it for lunch but because of school deadlines, I didn't get around to cooking. By midnight, my stomach was growling becuase I have not had anything all day save for the tub of macadania nuts that I was munching on while typing and searching for information at my school's online library. Darn, it was a little too late when I realized that I was going to use those nuts for my tuna dish...Oh, well...moving on...

So, there I was looking around my cupboard for something to use with my tuna when I found some walnuts...hmmm...possibility, I can just use it as a substitute for macadamia. Off I went to slicing , dicing, sauteeing, coating, and cooking...hehehe... It was a nice dish which was even more special in combination with the sauteed swiss chard. I like my tuna on the raw side so I cooked it rare by slightly frying it in the olive oil just long enough to brown the outside surface.



Ingredients:

3 oz. ahi tuna steak
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
a pinch of garlic powder
2 tbsp ground macadamia or walnuts

1. Coat tuna with 1/4 tsp extra virgin olive oil.
2. season with salt and pepper as well as garlic powder
3. coat with ground nuts
4. Heat pan over medium heat then add remaining olive oil
5. Sear tuna until light brown in color on all side or according to desired doneness.
6. Transfer to a serving plate lined with a bed of sauteed swiss chard.
7. Serve warm.