Banana Bread with Yogurt and Raisins

Banana bread with yogurt and raisins

Here it is — the latest in my “bought too many bananas so I’m gonna make banana bread” banana bread.

This one is moist, gently warmed with cinnamon and studded with raisins (although you could substitute dried cherries or cranberries and such). It looks lovely, both whole and when sliced. And I can tell you that all my usual tasters have said it was delicious.

Banana Bread with Yogurt and Raisins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or dairy sour cream)

• 3 ripe medium bananas, mashed

• 1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Mix the sugar and vegetable oil together in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and beat them in until well combined. Add the yogurt and bananas and blend them in thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and blend it in. Fold in the raisins. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes one loaf

Eggplant Parmesan

When I need a meatless meal, Eggplant Parmesan is one of my traditional go-tos. It’s familiar, relatively easy to prepare and you can cook it in advance and freeze it for about a month. Best of all, it tastes really good.

I especially love this dish in the summer when my garden is in bloom with thick, fresh purple eggplants!

The recipe below lists one cup of marinara sauce. I make my own and freeze that too. But in a pinch, store-bought works too when you want to make things easier on yourself.

Another thing that’s easy -- and less caloric too -- I roast the eggplant slices instead of breading and frying them.

Eggplant Parmesan

• 1 medium to large eggplant

• salt

• 5 tablespoons olive oil, approximately

• 1 cup marinara sauce

• 15 ounces ricotta cheese

• 1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant about 1/8-inch thick, sprinkle with salt and let rest for 20-30 minutes. Wipe the eggplant slices dry and place them on a baking sheet. Brush each side of each slice of eggplant with a film of olive oil. Roast the slices for about 15 minutes, turning them once, until they are softened and lightly browned. Remove the slices from the oven. Place 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in a baking dish. Place 1/3 of the eggplant slices in top (overlap the slices slightly). Mix the ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the egg and oregano. Place half of this cheese mixture on top of the eggplant slices. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Add another layer of eggplant slices. Cover with the remaining ricotta cheese mixture. Spread with the remaining (1/2 cup) marinara sauce. Cover with the remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle with the remaining (3/4 cup) mozzarella cheese and the remaining (1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to turn lightly brown.

Makes 4 servings

The Benefits of Buttermilk: Summer Buttermilk Soup

Buttermilk makes you beautiful.

So they say.

I once read that Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra because she had silky, radiant skin -- thanks to baths in buttermilk. And that Scarlett O’Hara apparently used buttermilk on her face to get rid of her freckles.

Me? Silky and radiant? Not lately (if ever).

Also I have too many freckles to even contemplate rubbing them out. Also, I think freckles are cute.

So no, for me buttermilk isn’t about its beauty functions.

It’s about food.

No surprise there, right?

You heard it here: buttermilk makes a lot of food better, more delicious, more perfect in texture.

Buttermilk makes one of the tastiest, most satisfying, most thirst-quenching drinks (lassis).

It adds a whole new dimension to ordinary cole slaw.

Want moist, tender muffins, scones and pancakes? Make them with buttermilk. Ditto Cake! Pie! Even pudding!

And especially, at this time of year: make satisfyingly creamy, low-fat, low-calorie summer soups like this one, based on cucumbers.

Cold Cucumber-Buttermilk Soup

• 2 medium cucumbers

• salt

• 1 stalk celery, peeled and chopped

• 2 scallions, chopped

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili pepper, optional

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• Aleppo pepper (or use freshly ground black pepper)

Peel the cucumbers, slice them in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and let them stand for 30 minutes. Wipe the cucumbers with paper towels. Chop the cucumbers into coarse chunks and place in a blender or food processor. Add the celery, scallions, garlic and chili pepper, if used, and process to mince them. Add the buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, parsley and dill (use a large bowl and whisk if your blender or processor isn’t large enough) and process until well blended. Season to taste with salt and either Aleppo or black pepper. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings

Beet Salad with Orange and Feta Cheese

Beet Salad with Orange and Feta Cheese

We’re all fully vaccinated and starting some sort of normal again.

So — the cousins are coming for the long Memorial Day weekend. It’s supposed to rain — so probably no outdoor grilling or eating!

And one of the cousins can no longer eat beef, veal or lamb. There will be lots of fish on the menu.

What to serve for side dish?

Cole slaw for sure. I have several versions, both parve and dairy.

Vegetables. Like these carrots, which everyone loves.

Salads. Like this one, chock full full of vegetables.

And this beet salad, which is tangy with feta cheese (you can use goat cheese) and is also amazingly refreshing because of the orange.

To all who observe —- have a good Memorial Day weekend.

Beet Salad with Orange and Feta Cheese

• 3 large or 6 small beets

• 1 navel orange

• 3 medium scallions, chopped

• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the beets, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Place the package on a baking sheet and roast the beets for 40-70 minutes, depending on size, or until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Let cool, then unwrap and peel the beets. Cut the beets into bite size pieces and place them in a bowl. Peel the orange, remove the pith and cut the flesh into bite size pieces and add them to the beets. Add the scallions, feta cheese and orange peel and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the olive oil and toss the ingredients to coat them with the oil. Add the vinegar and toss again. Spoon the ingredients into a serving bowl and scatter the parsley on top for serving.

Makes 4-6 servings

Romanian Cornmeal Cheese Cake

My grandmother occasionally made a fabulous cornmeal dish — she called it mamaliga, the national dish of Romania — and served it with sweetened, mashed farmer cheese and sour cream. Sometimes with a drizzle of maple syrup over everything.

I never knew it as Malai, a classic Romanian Shavuot treat, but that’s what it was. But it wasn’t her usual, plain “cornmeal mush” because it also had eggs and sugar mixed into the batter.

All I knew was how delicious it tasted.

So, over the years I experimented over and over until I made a version that tastes something like what I remember.

Here it is, in time for Shavuot.

Romanian MALAI

The Batter:

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup milk, half-and-half or buttermilk

• 2 large eggs

• filling

• sour cream, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. optional

• extra sugar or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the milk, eggs and cooled, melted butter and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Spoon one half of the cornmeal mixture into the prepared pan and spread the batter to make it even. Top with the filling. Top with the remaining batter (spread the batter to make a smooth, even top crust). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake is set.

Serve the cake warm, room temperature or slightly chilled. Serve plain or topped with sour cream (traditional), whipped cream or ice cream. (I add about 2 teaspoons of sugar for each cup of sour cream used as a garnish).

Makes 8-10 servings

THE Filling:

• 1 pound farmer’s cheese

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel

Mix the farmer’s cheese, egg, sugar and lemon peel until the ingredients are well blended.

Butternut Squash Salad with Feta Cheese and Pepitas

This is the time of year (where I live, anyway) where one day it can be winter: cold, windy and snowy. OR spring: warm, sunny, go-for-a-walk weather.

This salad reflects the season: some roasted winter squash with young, tender greens in a salad that’s light, a first course to a spring meal.

Butternut Squash salad with Feta Cheese and Pepitas

• 1 medium butternut squash

• 2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

• kosher salt

• Aleppo pepper or cayenne (optional)

• 2 cups packed baby spinach or other greens

• 5-6 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

• 4-5 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh. Peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler. Slice the squash into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Coat the slices on both sides using one tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and Aleppo pepper if desired. Bake the squash for 15 minutes. Turn the slices over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the squash from the oven. Place equal amounts of the spinach leaves on each of four serving plates. Place equal amounts of squash slices on top. Sprinkle with equal amounts of feta cheese and pepitas. Mix the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of olive oil with the white wine vinegar. Sprinkle over the salad. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

Shortbread Hamantashen

I was heartbroken when my favorite bakery, the one that had the best hamantashen ever, closed a few years ago. It was The Bakery, in Plainview, Long Island, across the street from my contact lens eye doctor. They also had the best Mandel bread and the best Russian coffeecake, babka (both cinnamon and chocolate) and almond horns.

Also Jewish corn bread. And Chinese cookies.

I would call them in advance to place an order and after the visit to the eye doctor, would go get my stash, place it all (except for one hamantashen) in the trunk of my car and head home to Connecticut. I bought two freezer shelves worth, which was enough for six months (to time the next doctor visit).

I now buy hamantashen at Cafe Dolce, in Norwalk, CT. They’re awesome, like from The Bakery. Similar dough, same apricot and prune lekvar filling (but alas, no Mandel bread, babka, etc.)

Every year I bake a new hamantashen recipe to see how close I can come to those memorable ones. This year I came really close — these have a soft, crumbly, flavorful dough with just a hint of citrus. There’s a good balance of dough to filling. Lekvar of course. I didn’t have any jarred lekvar so I made my own (recipe is below the recipe for hamantashen, although I have made lekvar before using the recipe here.

But - this is a dairy recipe. My next venture is to try this dough using vegetable shortening. I’ll let you know how it turns out,

Meantime, these are delicious. All my tasters have said so.

Shortbread Hamantashen

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon zest

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 10 tablespoons butter (or 2/3 cup shortening or a mixture of shortening and coconut oil)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• lekvar (about half cup) or other filling

Combine the flour, orange zest, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a food processor) beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and beat the ingredients to blend it in. Add the flour mixture and mix for 2-3 minutes until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 35-40 minutes or until cool. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough on a floured surface to a thickness between 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch. Cut out circles with a 3-inch cookie cutter. Place a heaping teaspoon of lekvar in the center of each circle. Pinch the sides to close the filling and shape into a triangle. Pinch tight so the cookies won’t open during baking. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate again for at least 30 minutes. Bake for about 18 minutes or until beginning to brown.

Makes about 18

Prune Lekvar

• 1/2 pound pitted prunes

• 1 cup orange juice

• 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place the prunes, juice and honey in a saucepan, bring to a boil over low heat, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes until the prunes are very soft. Puree the ingredients. Stir in the lemon juice.

Makes about 2 cups

Romanian Cheese Turnovers (Placinta cu Branza)

This has been a year like no other, but, in an effort to make New Year’s weekend somewhat normal (and with hopes that 2021 will be much better!), the cousins who always spend New Year’s with us have agreed to self-isolate, take Covid tests and so on, and if the tests are negative, they will come and stay with us for a few days!!!

I am so looking forward to that!

Our New Year’s Eve celebration is always an hors d’oeuvre fest. We start at about noon, have a few nibbles. A few hours later we have more nibbles and then at about 7:00-8:00 p.m. our final round. Dessert is much later, maybe 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.

We are doing the same thing this year. TRADITION!

The company and the food style will help us all feel … normal. If only for the long weekend.

I make some classics every year. Gougeres. Stuffed mushrooms. Matbucha. Chicken wings.

This year I am adding these mini-cheese turnovers. The filling is classic — my grandmother (my visiting cousin’s grandma as well) made a similar cheese mixture and wrapped it up in phyllo dough, as I also have many times. But puff pastry is easier to work with and every bit as delicious. We have eaten several of these as I worked to finalize the recipe. The New Year’s stash is safely stored away in my freezer.

Romanian Cheese TUrnovers (Placinta cu Branza)

• 1-1/4 cups crumbled feta cheese

• 1 7.5 ounce package farmer cheese (about one cup)(or use dry curd cottage cheese)

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1 large egg

• 2 medium scallions, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry*

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the feta cheese, farmer cheese, sour cream, egg, scallion and dill in a mixing bowl and mix together until the mixture is uniform and the ingredients evenly distributed. Roll one sheet of the puff pastry into a 12”x 12” or 13”x13”square. Cut out 9 or 16 squares. Place equal amounts of cheese filling in the center of each. Wet two sides of each square lightly with some water. Fold the dry sides of the dough in half over the filling to meet the wet sides and to form triangles. Press the ends to seal the dough tightly. Press the edges with the tines of a fork to seal the sides completely. Place the pieces on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 18 or 32

*You can make this as strudel, using buttered phyllo leaves

Cheese Strudel

In our family, there are always latkes for Hanukkah.

SERIOUSLY! WOULD THERE EVER BE ANY DOUBT ABOUT THAT?!

But also, we always have some dish that includes cheese, to honor Judith, who played a major part in the Maccabee victory. You can read all about it here.

Most often I make cheese-filled blintzes, because … blintzes! One of man/womankind’s all-time favorite foods. One of my favorites, anyway.

When I am feeling even more ambitious, I make potato-cheese kreplach. Boy do I LOVE those! In fact, they are on my list of top-five foods of all time.

But this year, the dairy dish will be cheese strudel because this coming Sunday (December 13th) I am giving a Zoom demo of Hanukkah foods for my local Hadassah chapter and one of the recipes I am making will be cheese strudel. My husband and I will have some of it for dessert and then I will have the leftovers to stash away for New Year’s, when my cousins come after they have quarantined so they can be with us! New Year’s Eve might seem normal this year!

Cheese strudel — for Hanukkah. For New Year’s. Whenever!

Cheese Strudel 

• 10 sheets phyllo dough

• 3-4 tablespoons butter

• 1-1/2 cups farmer cheese

• 4 ounces cream cheese

• 1/3 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 large egg yolk

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/3-1/2 cup raisins, optional

• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, approximately

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Open the package of phyllo dough and cover the sheets with a barely moist kitchen towel. Melt the butter and keep warm over low heat. Place the farmer cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, egg yolk, flour, lemon peel, vanilla extract, salt and raisins, if used, in a bowl and mix to combine the ingredients. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface and brush lightly with some of the melted butter. Sprinkle with some bread crumbs (about 1/2 tablespoon). Layer a second sheet of phyllo on top, Lightly brush with butter, sprinkle with some bread crumbs and repeat for a third and fourth layer. Add a final fifth sheet on top. Spoon half the cheese mixture down the long side of the phyllo sheet leaving about one inch on each end. Roll the dough over the cheese and finish rolling, jellyroll style until the roll is complete. Place the roll, seam side down. On the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with another five sheets of phyllo and the remaining cheese mixture. Place the second roll on the baking sheet. Brush the surface of the rolls with remaining butter. Chill for about one hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 2 rolls, each serving 4-6 people

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

I’ve been in a pumpkin spice mood. I made some pumpkin spice muffins. And some coffee cake.

But this week it’s ice cream, because, in addition to the yen for pumpkin spice, I’ve been in an ice cream kind of mood lately.

So - pumpkin spice ice cream, a flavor that suits the season and pleases my palate. I served it with dates, which was a delicious combo.

Treat yourself to some. It’s easy to make and because we all might be stuck in for a while maybe you have some time on your hands. It will give you something to do and something delicious to end a meal. Or have as a snack.

If you don’t have an ice cream machine, follow the directions here:

PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM

• 1 cup pureed pumpkin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2-1/2 cups cream

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 4 large egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a bowl and stir the ingredients until thoroughly blended. Set aside. Heat 2 cups of the cream until the liquid is warm and bubbles appear on the side of the pan. While the cream is cooking, place the brown sugar and egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a bowl and hand mixer) and beat for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, or until light, fluffy and well blended. Gradually add the warmed cream and stir for 1-2 minutes to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 8-10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining cream, the vanilla extract and the pumpkin mixture. Mix until well blended; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until chilled. Place in an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream has thickened but is still soft, add the cranberry mixture and continue churning until the ice cream is thick. Spoon the soft ice cream into a container. Place in the freezer until very cold and firm.

Makes about 6 cups