Brooks Birthday Banana Cake with Chocolate Pecan Streusel

Every year for Brooks’ birthday I make her favorite Chocolate Babka http://pennysmenu.blogspot.com/2009/07/brooks-birthday-babka.html , or as my kids used to call it Chocolate Bread. This year I thought I would mix it up a bit and try a new recipe using bananas and chocolate. Truth of the matter is that I bought to many bananas and they were beginning to get brown sports. Once that happens in my house, no one eats them, so they become bread. This year they became Brooks’ Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Pecan Streusel

For the Streusel
In a small mixing bowl combine
8 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup – 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325°
You can cook this two ways. Option 1 in a bundt pan, streusel in the center and on top of the cake or, Option 2 decorative bundt pan, streusel in the center of the cake only. Both cooking methods result in a wonderful cake. I prepared option 2 for the birthday girl.
Butter and flour your pan. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment beat the sugar and butter adding the eggs one at a time. Mix until fluffy. Add the bananas and buttermilk mix until fluffier. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle half the streusel, and pour the remaining batter over the streusel. If you are topping the cake with the streusel, sprinkle the remaining streusel over the cake. If you are only using the streusel for the center, store in an airtight jar and save it for your next cake.
Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Mother's Day Pie

Lemon Ricotta Cheese Pie
By Penny Rich
Inspired by Viv Olkin

Crust:
1 cup of Graham cracker crumbs
½ stick 4 tablespoons of butter, melted
Make crumbs by whizzing crackers in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Place in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to wet all the crumbs. Place in a 9 inch greased pie pan and press down to form into the pan. Bake 350° for 5 minutes. Let cool
Filling:
3 eggs
1 pint of ricotta
3 tablespoons AP Flour
2 teaspoons lemon rind
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
¾ cup plain yogurt

Place eggs, ricotta, flour, lemon and vanilla in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl; add sugar and yogurt, mix. Pour into crust. Bake 325° for 35-45 minutes or until the center just jiggles slightly when the pan is moved. CHILL.

Matzoh - cardboard into gourmet

Ah! It’s Matzoh time again. How many days do we have to eat this stuff? There are some great recipes being published using matzoh, yes that’s right turn cardboard into gourmet.


Here are a few of my family’s favorites.

Dirty Matzoh
From Matzoh Ball Gumbo, by Marcie Cohen Ferris
8-10 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil (omit if using cooked giblets)
1 cup chicken livers, finely chopped (vegetarian version 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
9 pieces of unsalted matzoh, broken
1 stick of butter (margarine if using liver)
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Garlic cloves, minced
½ cup parsley, chopped
3-4 teaspoons Creole seasoning
½ cup chicken stock (vegetable stock for vegetarian version)
1 large egg, scrambled

Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously grease a 9×9 inch glass baking dish or casserole.
If using the livers, heat the oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Carefully add the livers and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper. Cook, turning often and scraping the bottom of the pan, until livers are browned but still pink in the center, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl (don’t wash the skillet). Let livers cool slightly and then chop.
If you are making the vegetarian version cook mushrooms with the onion mixture.
Meanwhile, place the matzohs in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand, pressing them down into the water, until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain, pressing out the water and breaking up the matzohs with your hands. Dry the bowl; return matzohs to the bowl.
In the same skillet, over medium heat, melt all but 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring often, until tender, 8 minutes. Stir in the parsley, Creole seasoning, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Scrape the mixture into the matzohs.
Add the livers or giblets (or mushrooms), broth, and egg and mix well. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until the surface is browned and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes longer.


Matzo Toffee
by Penny Rich
Pack this treat in your child’s lunch box and watch how many friends he makes.

4 pieces of matzo
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts, I like pecans (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips, I like semi sweet

Break matzo into 2 inch square pieces and place on a non-stick pan. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and butter. Bring to a boil and continue to cook on low heat for 5 minutes until combine stirring constantly. Turn off heat add chopped nuts and pour over matzo. Bake at 350•F for 8 minutes. While matzo is baking melt chocolate chips in a microwave. Pour over the baked matzo and spread evenly to coat all the pieces. Refrigerate until chocolate sets up.

Matzo Nachos
By Brody Rich-Voorhees

3 squares of matzo
2-3 tablespoons hot salsa
1/4 cup cheddar/jack cheese, shredded

Break matzo in pieces resembling corn chips. Place 1/2 the pieces on a plate top with some salsa and cheese. Do a second layer ending with cheese. Pop in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on the power of you microwave. YUM!

Matzo Pizza
By Penny Rich
Serves 4

3 eggs
2 cups matzo, broken in 2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add the matzo, salt and pepper blend well.
Heat the oil in a 9-inch nonstick skillet. Add the egg mixture and cook until the eggs set and the bottom of the crust is golden brown. Slip the crust onto a large plate and invert back into the skillet onto the uncooked side. Cook for 2 minutes until brown. Remove pan from heat.
Spoon the tomato sauce over the top of the crust and top with mozzarella cheese.
Bake the pizza in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove the pizza from the oven and cut into wedges.
*If you non-stick pan has a plastic handle, cover with a double layer of foil before placing in the oven to cook.

My Favorite
1 square of Matzoh
Fresh butter from Mapleview Farm
Kosher salt

Yep you go it. Spread the butter on the matzoh, pinch a little salt on top and consume. Wash down with wine. {not the sweet stuff. Yuck!}

St. Patty's Day Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread
by Penny Rich
Adapted from a recipe by Delia Fitzpatrick

The Corned Beef is easy. Just throw it in the crock pot with some potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, spices, stout and let it cook for 8-9 hours on low. Add a head of cabbage and cook for 2 more hours. But dinner would not be complete without my mother in law's Irish Soda Bread.

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cups sugar
8 tablespoons chilled butter cut in 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups raisins
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F
In a large mixing bowl combine flour through sugar. Mix well. Add cubed butter and blend with a pastry knife until mixture resembles a course meal, add raisins and stir to combine. In a small bowl mix the egg and 2 cups of buttermilk. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Do not over mix.
Form the dough into a round shape. Butter a 4-6 quart cast iron pot. Place dough in the pot and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour. With a sharp knife make a cross in the dough. Bake for 1 hour.

Bowl of Comfort/Onion Soup

A Bowl of Comfort

Onion Soup
Serves 6
This is a vegetarian version of the old classic onion soup. With its rich flavor and sweetness of the onions you will not miss the beef at all. Serve with homemade croutons* and optional grated Swiss cheese for the complete experience.

5 cups thinly sliced onions
3 cloves garlic minced
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 quart of vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper

Grated Swiss cheese for topping optional

Cook onions and garlic in a large pot in melted butter until the onions are completely cooked through, but not brown. This could take up to 20 minutes. Stir in the mustard and thyme. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. Serve in a large bowl. Top with croutons and grated cheese.

*Croutons can be made by cutting bread in 1-inch cubes. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on oil sprayed baking sheet in oven on 325F for 15 minutes.

Black Bean Soup

It was cold today. Began to snow around 2 pm and felt even colder. It was a perfect day to hang out and warm my bones near the fire eating Black Bean soup. This is one of my favorite soups because you can make it a meal by adding some salsa, jack cheese or sour cream and serve it with corn chips or corn tortilla. This recipe can double up and you can freeze some for the next snowy, gray day.

Black Bean Soup
By Penny Rich
Serves 6-8

2 cups black beans*
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
8-10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped
2 tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed and diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onions through red pepper and sauté 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add beans*, vegetable stock, chipotle and tomatoes bring to a boil. Turn heat to simmer and cook for 2 hours, stirring now and then adding water if the soup gets to thick. You can leave it like this or blend ½ of the soup for a thicker consistency. Add cilantro. Serve hot with optional toppings of sour cream and salsa.

*Place black beans on a cookie sheet and pick through to remove any stones or broken beans. Rinse with cold water Option one, place in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let sit for one hour. Option two, soak beans in cold water overnight.

Cold Days Hot Soup

Snowy Icy Day in Chapel Hill means Hot Soup is on the menu.
This has become a favorite in my house.

Mushroom Barley Soup
by Penny Rich
1/2 cup pearl barley

¼ dry porcini mushrooms, rehydrated*
1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

4 cups vegetable broth

3 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 Tablespoons Dry Sherry
2 cups water

2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste
In a medium pan, bring 2 cups of water and the 1/2 cup of barley to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add the carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and porcini mushrooms cook 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, soy sauce, sherry any extra mushroom liquor, water, and fresh thyme. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked barley and cook for 30 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
*To rehydrate dry mushroom – place in a Pyrex measuring cup and cover with water. Micro on high for 1 minute. Let sit for 5 minutes. Strain liquid through a coffee filter to remove sand, save the mushroom liquor. Wash mushroom to remove sand.