Mariooch's Kitchen

Growing up banana bread was a family favorite. My mom was not a baker, but always made it. Unfortunately, I don’t have a family recipe to use.  That is why I always urge all my friends to write down your families’ recipes so that they do not become lost and forgotten. That is one main reason I decided to start my blog, and also because I am passionate about cooking. Bringing everyone back to the kitchen table in this technological world we live in is so important.

I happened to have some over ripened bananas and didn’t want to throw them away, (mom used to say waste not want not and I could not agree more!!!) so I got to work on a Banana Cake Recipe. Somewhere along the way I lost my loaf pan, so I had to bake it in a cake pan, hence the name Banana Cake.

When we make shakes in the morning to power-up after a long workout, we typically combine ginger, a natural anti-inflammatory, along with bananas, and ginger and cinnamon go well together.  I thought this is a great flavor combination for this cake:  ginger, cinnamon and banana. It’s a winning combination!  The crumbled topping that caramelizes when you bake it was just the right added touch. If you want to add a bit more decadence to this cake, butter the bottom of the pan and then put light brown sugar, smoothed out with the back of a spoon. It will caramelize and melt in your mouth!

These are mini banana cakes I made without the raisins and no egg. I also used a nonstick pan. I really think the silver pan is the way to go with this recipe! If you have to omit the egg, the recipe will still work! (My son is allergic to egg, so these I made especially for him! He devoured them!) This recipe can be found in my cookbook, coming soon….

I was inspired to make an authentic Italian meal after meeting Emma the owner of Da Emma in Montreal, Canada. Previously, she had lived in Rome and owned a restaurant there for 25 years. I asked to meet her and my husband and I went into the kitchen. She only “parle Italiano” spoke Italian, but her food spoke for itself. We all instantly had a bond. She reminded me of my grandmother. The sauce in this dish is inspired by Emma. In this dish is chicken, black olives, onions, Yukon potatoes and fresh basil.

Ingredients:
1 whole cooked chicken (Rotisserie is fine)
1 bunch of fresh basil
6 cloves of garlic
¾ cut Kalamata olives
5 large Yukon potatoes (or yellow)
1 large can of san marzano whole tomatoes
1 large yellow onion

Directions:
Wash and scrub the potatoes. Peel the skin off, I prefer the skin off but you can keep it on if you like. Once peeled, dice the potatoes into large chunks. Put in a pot with water, and boil for 10-15 minutes. They don’t have to be cooked through because they will cook more in the frying pan. Drain them and put them aside.

Making quick Tomato Sauce: (The longer version of my sauce can be found at Mariooch’s Homemade Tomato Sauce)

In a frying pan, add some olive oil and saute about 5 gloves of garlic until it browns and then toss them. Keep the olive oil in the pan. Add some fresh cloves of garlic and diced onion to the pan saute until they are translucent. Then, in the blender add the San Marzano tomatoes, some fresh basil, and a few tablespoons of olive oil, and the diced onion and garlic cloves and pulse for about 30 seconds. I also add salt, but taste is as you go along. Let this simmer 15 minutes. (you can keep the tomato seeds in this sauce, that’s why I am calling it the quick version.)

In the meantime, take all the skin off the chicken, (I always save it for my daughter who loves the skin!) and dice it. Set the chicken aside. Cut the olives in half, and check for pits, there is nothing worse than biting into a pit. Add the Yukon potatoes to the simmering sauce and let them cook for 5 minutes, then add in your diced chicken, the olives, and stir everything together. Also, add some onions in larger chunks. Let this simmer for about 30 minutes. You can add a little water as you go along. Keep the heat on low. You do not want to burn the sauce, it will not taste good. Then add the basil last. It’s ready to serve with a hot piece of Italian bread.