Bittman Recipe- Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Makes: 1 loaf

Time: About 1 hour

The best banana bread is a balancing act: It requires a fair amount of fat to keep it moist and to lighten the crumb; a little whole wheat flour gives its some substance. And in my opinion, the result should be sweet—but not overly so. Though coconut is my favorite secret ingredient, feel free to omit it or add more nuts, raisins, or other dried fruit instead, if you like. This bread keeps better than most quick breads, though it probably won't be around too long.


8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened, plus butter for the pan
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut



1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with butter.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients. With a hand mixer, a whisk, or in the food processor, cream the butter and beat in the eggs and bananas. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients, just enough to combine (it's okay if there are lumps). Gently stir in the vanilla, nuts, and coconut.

3. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until nicely browned. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread will come out fairly clean when done, but because of the bananas this bread will remain moister than most. Do not overcook. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

 
From the Cookbook:
 

What's for Dinner- Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Time: About 45 minutes

One of the most popular recipes in the original How to Cook Everything, which I attribute to too many people growing up with what the Canadians call “Kraft dinner.” The real thing is rich, filling, delicious, and dead easy. You can change the type of cheese you use: Try blue cheese, goat cheese, smoked Gouda, or even mascarpone. Or mix in some crisp-cooked chunks of thick-cut bacon or pancetta, about 1/2cup.

Salt

2 1/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine)

2 bay leaves

1 pound elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut pasta

4 tablespoons (1/2stick) butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

11/2cups grated cheese, like sharp cheddar or Emmental

1 /2cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

1 /2cup or more bread crumbs, preferably fresh

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

2. Heat the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand. Cook the pasta in the boiling water to the point where you would still think it needed another minute or two to become tender. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.

3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk, and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar or Emmental and stir.

4. Pour the sauce over the pasta, toss in the Parmesan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 ×13-inch or like-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. (You can make the dish to this point, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day; return to room temperature before proceeding.) Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Recipe from:

What's for Dinner?

Pork Chop

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

with Honey Corn Bread

Bittman Recipe- Eggplant Parmesan

* Bittman post are recipes that I try from Kitchen Express and How to Cook Everything  by Mark Bittman

*This recipe is more of a variation of  his recipe that you can find page 297 of How to Cook Everything.

Eggplant Parmesan

I prepared my eggplant by slicing into 1/2 to 1 inch slices.

If the eggplant is not fresh and firm, do a salt prep to remove bitterness.  Liberally salt and let rest in a collinder for up to an hour. Rinse, pat dry and proceed with recipe.

I grilled the eggplant for this recipe.  Eggplant is done when it is tender, almost creamy and no dry spots.

I placed the grilled eggplant in a casserole dish.

Instead of making the Fast Tomato Sauce on page 502 , I used some pizza sauce I had leftover  in the fridge. I layered the pizza sauce on top of the grilled eggplant.

Then topped the pizza sauce with a sprinkle of mozzarella then a sprinkle of Parmesean.

I then placed the casserole dish back on the grill to melt the cheese.

Not his recipe word for word, but I think Mr. Bittman would be proud!

  Taste Test: Grilling the eggplant added a ton of flavor. I think grilling added a more meaty taste to the eggplant.

Great Recipe!








**Tackling Bittman is copyrighted theme a Moderate Life

Bittman Recipe- Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak

* Tackling Bittman post are recipes that I try from How to Cook Everything and Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman

Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak

1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons Nam Pla or Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon  ground ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
1 flank Steak - 2 to 2.5 pounds

Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl or platter and marinate the steak in them for alt least 30 minutes.
If marinating time is longer than 30 minutes, refrigerate.
Near end  of marinating time, heat grill until very hot

Remove meat from marinade and dry well with paper towels. Grill the steak about 4 inches from the heat source until nicled browned. About 4 minutes per side.
Move meat to cooler part of grill and cook for another 2 minutes.

Check for doneness. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting across the grain into thin slices.

This was awesome!!! The Meat cut like butter and melted in your mouth

The Steak and a 3 Pepper and Onion Mix equals Fajitas!!

**Tackling Bittman is copyrighted theme a Moderate Life