BANANAS

                                             

Clockwise: Red Banana, Cavendish,, Baby, Plantains and Manzano in the Centre 

Botanically, bananas belong to the Musaceae family along with plantains.  The luscious and creamy flesh of this very popular fruit is packaged in its own yellow, red or green jacket.   Bananas are very healthy as they, apparently, have a large potassium content that lowers blood pressure.  They also contain sterols and fibres that block the absorption of cholesterol and support our digestive system.  So, let us alter the famous adage into: “two bananas a day keep the doctor away” that allows us to relish this delicious fruit, daily, without the slightest twinge of guilt!

                                         SAVOURY BANANA FRITTERS

Flip the Fritters Over When the Edges Brown 

If you have ripe bananas at home, and you don’t feel like eating a cake or traditional banana fritters, prepare this tasty snack.

270 g (9 oz) that is about 3 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed to a smooth pulp

5 tbsp plain flour mixed with

2 tbsp desiccated coconut + more for further use

1 tsp powdered ginger

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2-3  tbsp of kefalotyri or pecorino or mature Cheddar, grated

1/8 tsp Espelette pepper

Salt to taste

A pinch of sugar, if necessary

A little milk, if necessary

A little mild-tasting olive oil and

4 tbsp butter

Finely grated San Mihalis or Parmesan

Add banana pulp to the flour mixture and stir well until combined.  Stir in the cheese and some of the Espelette pepper then taste and season the batter with salt, the remaining  pepper and sugar accordingly.  It should be very tasty.  If the batter seems too liquid, stir in some desiccated coconut, if it seems too thick, pour in a little milk until you get the right consistency.  Cover the bowl with cling film and ice for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a non-stick frying pan and place spoonfuls of the batter and fry.   Flip over when the edges turn brown, adding more butter when needed.  When the fritters are cooked remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese.    

                                        CHICKEN AND BANANA CURRY

Chicken and Banana Curry with Safron Rice

Here is a recipe for a popular chicken dish with a spicy banana sauce.

1 kg (2 lb) chicken, skinned, trimmed of all visible fat and tough membranes and cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp clarified butter

Salt

2 onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled

20 g ( 2/3 oz)) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

( Blend all three ingredients to a smooth paste)

Spice mixture:

1 tbsp curry powder, mild or hot

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

1 tsp cinnamon powder

5 cardamom pods popped, seeds crushed with a pestle and mortar

1 tbsp tomato paste

750 ml (3 cups) tasty, hot chicken stock

3 bananas, peeled and blended into a pulp, this should be done the day you wish to serve the curry 

½ - 1 tin coconut milk

A day before you wish to serve the dish, sauté the chicken in batches, in olive oil and butter, remove to a platter with a slotted spoon, and season with a little salt. 

In the same saucepan, sauté the onion/garlic/ginger paste, for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add the spice mix and sauté, stirring, until the spices release all their aromas.  Also add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.  Pour in ½ the chicken stock, mix and bring to the boil.  Simmer the sauce very gently for about 30 minutes, cool slightly and strain through a fine sieve, pushing with the back of a spoon in order to extract all the juices. 

Pour the strained sauce back into the saucepan, add the sautéed chicken pieces and the remaining hot chicken stock, cover the saucepan and simmer the chicken for 15-20 minutes.  Check the chicken for doneness and cook a little more if necessary.  You could now cool the chicken curry and store it, covered, in the fridge.

The next day, bring the chicken to the boil and heat thoroughly.  Add the banana purée into the sauce,  taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly by adding salt and a little freshly ground pepper if necessary.   The sauce should be a very tasty and thick.   Just before serving add ½ or 1 tin coconut milk and serve piping hot with sautéed saffron rice, poppadoms and buttered chapattis.

                                                     BANANA CREAM

Preparing the Custard

Banana and Almond Cream

This is one of my favourite desserts ever since I was a child.  The custard is prepared in a different way than its English counterpart and quite as delicious.

500 ml (2 cups) full milk

250 ml (1 cup) cream

2½ heaped tbsp cornflour

4 medium-sized egg yolks

1 medium-sized egg

5 tbsp sugar

A good pinch of salt

Vanilla

2 liqueur glasses Metaxa brandy or any other good quality brandy

4 ripe but firm bananas, sliced

250 ml (1 cup) apricot jam

2 fistfuls of blanched and roasted almonds thickly chopped or just flaked almonds

Reserve 62½ (¼ cup) milk and heat the rest together with the cream and a little sugar.   Whip the egg yolks and the whole egg with the remaining sugar, salt and vanilla until light and doubled in bulk.   Dilute the cornflour in the reserved milk, and gently stir it into the whipped eggs.  Before the milk comes to the boil, remove the saucepan from the fire and, drip two ladlefuls of hot milk into the eggs, whipping constantly.  Then, slowly, pour the egg/milk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.  Place the saucepan back on the stove and heat under simmering point, always stirring, until the egg mixture thickens into a custard.   Strain it into a bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm, to prevent a skin from forming, and cool.

Dilute the apricot jam with one of the liqueur glasses of brandy.   Drizzle a glass or crystal bowl with the remaining brandy and arrange two sliced bananas over the bottom.   Cover with half of the jam/brandy spread and carefully ladle half the custard evenly over.  Sprinkle with some chopped or flaked almonds.  Repeat the same procedure once more, i.e. a layer of bananas spread with jam and topped with the remaining custard sprinkled evenly with almonds.   Cover the bowl with cling film and ice for four hours or more before serving.

                                                 CANDIED BANANAS

 You could alternatively serve candied bananas with cheese.

Syrup:

375 ml (1½ cup) water

 125 g (½ cup) brown sugar
A thin slice of peeled ginger

A pinch of cinnamon

½  tsp of salt or according to taste

A pinch of Cayenne pepper (optional)

5 ripe but firm bananas, thickly sliced
A knob of butter

In a large frying pan simmer all the syrup ingredients together for 10 minutes until the sugar melts and thickens into a syrup.   Add the bananas and butter to the syrup, in a single layer, and simmer very gently for 5-6 minutes until cooked and light amber in colour.   Store the bananas, with the sliced ginger and the caramel syrup in a covered container, in the refrigerator.  Serve the candied bananas  with roast  or boiled meat or poultry. 

                                  

                                                   BANANA CAKE

Moist Banana Cake Baked in a Loaf Tin

This is a lovely, aromatic cake.

250 g (½ lb) butter at room temperature

250 g (½ lb) sugar (2 tbsp reserved)

4 medium-sized eggs separated, whites whipped stiff with

A pinch of salt and the reserved sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp Metaxa brandy mixed with the lightly whipped egg yolks

250 g (½ lb) self raising flour mixed with

1¼ tsp baking powder

2 ripe bananas mashed

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C (350 F).   Line the base of a baking tin with buttered baking parchment.  Also, butter the sides of the tin.  One could also use a loaf tin.

Cream the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. 

Add the egg yolk/brandy mixture in three portions alternately with the flour, mixing well after each addition. 

Stir in the bananas until thoroughly combined.  Fold in ¼ of the whipped egg whites to soften the batter slightly and finally, very gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites until no traces of white are evident.

Pour in the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until and skewer inserted in the middle for the cake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven, loosen the sides of the cake with a flexible knife and reverse the banana cake on a serving dish.

    

                                                     

                                                 BANANA CHUTNEY

Chunky Banana Chutney

There are no words for this chutney.


1 kg (2 lb) ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

200 g (1 cup) sugar
2 tbsp vinegar or more
1-2 tsp salt

2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground  cardamom

1 cup raisins

Place the sugar, 1 tsp salt and vinegar in a saucepan and simmer, stirring until the sugar melts.

Then add the bananas, grated ginger and spices  and cook very, very gently until the bananas are cooked and the syrup thickens.

Remove from the heat, taste for seasoning and add more vinegar, sugar, salt and Cayenne if necessary.   Stir in the raisins and cook gently for 5 minutes more.   Ladle into sterilised jars and seal.  Serve after 2-3 days.