A few weeks ago a neighbor offered me some getting-kinda-old bananas, and I thought “I’ll make banana bread, and diary that”. I don’t think I’d ever made banana bread before, but I always need something to write about here, so why not?
The banana bread was good. I looked back and didn’t see any other WFDs on bananas, so this has kind of grown.
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One of my WFDs that I had the most fun with was Songs About Food. There are lots of banana songs, I hope you enjoy these. First a couple old-timey ones:
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a newer weird novelty
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the song that made Harry a star:
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This sounds totally like something Jimmy would write, but it’s Steve Goodman’s song.
Give me some words I can dance to
or a melody that rhymes
the actual history should be mentioned (per wiki)
The earliest modern plantations originated in Jamaica and the related Western Caribbean Zone, including most of Central America. It involved the combination of modern transportation networks of steamships and railroads with the development of refrigeration that allowed more time between harvesting and ripening. North American shippers like Lorenzo Dow Baker and Andrew Preston, the founders of the Boston Fruit Company started this process in the 1870s, but railroad builders like Minor C. Keith also participated, eventually culminating in the multi-national giant corporations like today's Chiquita Brands International and Dole.[55] These companies were monopolistic, vertically integrated (meaning they controlled growing, processing, shipping and marketing) and usually used political manipulation to build enclave economies (economies that were internally self-sufficient, virtually tax exempt, and export-oriented that contribute very little to the host economy). Their political maneuvers, which gave rise to the term Banana republic for states like Honduras and Guatemala, included working with local elites and their rivalries to influence politics or playing the international interests of the United States, especially during the Cold War, to keep the political climate favorable to their interests.[56]
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And finally, one where the singer might really eat a banana
You don’t need a recipe here, do you? Mix up Bisquick or your favorite pancake batter, add one or more diced bananas.
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Botanically, bananas are a berry produced by a large flowering herb. Since I’m American, what I mean by “banana” is what the wiki article calls a “sweet” or “dessert” banana, almost certainly of the Cavendish cultivar, as opposed to a “cooking” banana which Americans usually call a “plantain”.
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Banana Nut Bread
The classic way of using up overage brown bananas. I was surprised when I went to the store and found that my $1.50 worth of free bananas needed $4 worth of walnuts to make bread. There are recipes without nuts, but I like them for texture as well as flavor.
From Food Network — 1 loaf
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
1 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.
With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.
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I haven’t done banana pancakes in a while, but recently I put some bananas into french toast for breakfast, and was reminded of how good cooked bananas are! Plantains need to really be cooked; bananas only need to be heated a little to soften them and bring out the rich flavor. Here are a couple of classic recipes other than banana bread.
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Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
This is reputed to have been a favorite of Elvis Presley. Some authorities say the official Elvis version is, for maximum richness, sauteed in a whole stick of butter per sandwich; others say stick to 2 tablespoons but use bacon fat. From epicurious.com.
2 tablespoons peanut butter (preferably smooth)
2 slices white sandwich bread
1 small ripe banana, mashed with a fork (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons butter
Spread peanut butter evenly on 1 slice of bread, then spread mashed banana on other slice, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge. Close sandwich, gently pressing bread slices together.
Heat butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then fry sandwich, turning over once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes total.
Eat immediately with a knife and fork.
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Bananas Foster
There are two classic banana desserts. To me the banana split is really about the ice cream and everything else but the banana; this is about the banana (with rum and fire).
Created at Brennan’s restaurant, New Orleans. Ideally it’s finished at the table so your guest(s) can enjoy the drama of flaming it. This version from Alton Brown at Food Network — for 2
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon banana liqueur
2 under ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Add banana liqueur and bring sauce to simmer.
Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish.
Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Add orange zest and stir to combine.
Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve. Serve with waffles, crepes, or ice cream. ---—
What’s for dinner at your place? I think most of the commenters here eat better than I do, please make it a diary! Message ninkasi23.