The Perfect Banana Bread

By Al Milukas By Al Milukas By Al Milukas Notes from the Cooker, Traveler, Master Gardener and Serious Sipper of Creative CocktailsNotes from the Cooker, Traveler, Master Gardener and Serious Sipper of Creative CocktailsNotes from the Cooker, Traveler, Master Gardener and Serious Sipper of Creative Cocktails Al enjoys discovering great food, creative cocktails, and the people who make them. Listen to him on the Paul & Al show, weekdays on 94HJY. For more blogs delivered to your e-mail, sign up at www.livethelive.com. Al enjoys discovering great food, creative cocktails, and the people who make them. Listen to him on the Paul & Al show, weekdays on 94HJY. For more blogs delivered to your e-mail, sign up at www.livethelive.com. Al enjoys discovering great food, creative cocktails, and the people who make them. Listen to him on the Paul & Al show, weekdays on 94HJY. For more blogs delivered to your e-mail, sign up at www.livethelive.com. CLAMS I’ve had Clams Casino in many different forms. Back when I worked in Italian restaurants in New York, we would make a breadcrumb mixture, press it onto a freshly opened whole clam, and then place a small piece of bacon on top before it went into the oven. It was good, but the clam often CASINO stuck to the shell, and many people didn’t want to gulp down a whole clam like that. When it was time for me to make my own recipe, I decided that I would chop the clams and mix them into the breadcrumb mix, so that every bite was the same.

I’ve had Clams Casino in many different forms. Back when I worked in Italian restaurants in New York, we would make a breadcrumb mixture, press it onto a freshly opened whole clam, and then place a small piece of bacon on top before it went into the oven. It was good, but the clam often stuck to the shell, and many people didn’t want to gulp down a whole clam like that. When it was time for me to make my own recipe, I decided that I would chop the clams and mix them into the breadcrumb mix, so that every bite was the same. CLAMS CASINOPERFECT BANANA BREAD is is one of my favorites because it not only tastes amazing, it freezes really well. Banana Bread Recipe

What makes this banana bread special is that it uses whole wheat flour…less sugar…and no artificial extracts that make most banana breads taste like crap. It relies on very ripe bananas to give it its wonderful natural flavor.

It’s not always easy to get bananas to ripen exactly when you’re trying to make your banana bread recipe. So I buy a large bunch of bananas and let them get very ripe at room temperature. I then take 5 at a time (for this recipe), peel them, and place the bananas in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. When it’s time to make banana bread, I just pull one of those Ziplocs out of the freezer, let it thaw, and mash with a potato masher.

Ingredients: Ingredients: Directions: Directions:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about a 1/2 an onion) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about a 1/2 an onion) Since Roundup is a very common herbicide used on wheat, and its cancer-causing characteristics Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté them until they’re translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for 10 seconds. Add the wine and simmer for a minute. Add the bread crumbs, and stir the mixture until it becomes thicker, like a paste. Add the parsley and oregano. Season with pepper. ( ere’s going to be plenty of salt in the clam juice and bacon, so no salt is needed). Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté them until they’re translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for 10 seconds. Add the wine and simmer for a minute. Add the bread crumbs, and stir the mixture until it becomes thicker, like a paste. Add the parsley and oregano. Season with pepper. ( ere’s going to be plenty of salt in the clam juice and bacon, so no salt is needed). 2 garlic cloves, squeezed through a2 garlic cloves, squeezed through a garlic press are widely known by now, I always use organic wheat for my baking recipes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.

It’s time to open the clams. If you know how to do that, open them over a sieve with a bowl underneath so that the clam meats and juices are captured. Discard any broken shells, but save the good ones. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and drop the clams into it, about 10 at a time, for 30 seconds. Don’t let them open! Remove the clams with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl to cool. Continue doing this in small batches until all the clams have been in the water. You’ll nd this makes opening the clams much easier. en proceed as above. garlic press 1/3 cup dry white wine 1/3 cup unflavored bread crumbs 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano It’s time to open the clams. If you know how to do that, open them over a sieve with a bowl underneath so that the clam meats and juices are captured. Discard any broken shells, but save the good ones. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and drop the clams into it, about 10 at a time, for 30 seconds. Don’t let them open! Remove the clams with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl to cool. Continue doing this in small batches until all the clams have been in the water. You’ll nd this makes opening the clams much easier. en proceed as above. 1/3 cup dry white wine 1/3 cup unflavored bread crumbs 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano I use organic cane sugar instead of regular sugar when I have it. I don’t use vegetable oils, especially not canola, so I use healthier avocado oil or olive oil. Eggs are pastured when I can get ’em. Bananas are organic. And I rub the pans with coconut oil or I use an olive oil cooking spray. Ingredients

Freshly cracked black pepper 2 dozen medium neck clams Freshly cracked black pepper 2 dozen medium neck clams • 3 cups all-purpose flour • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour • 2 tsp baking soda Once you’ve shucked all the clams, let the clam juice sit for a bit, so that any grit settles to the bottom of the bowl. en pour o the clean clam juice and add it to your bread crumb mixture. (Don’t worry if it looks soggy at this point.) Once you’ve shucked all the clams, let the clam juice sit for a bit, so that any grit settles to the bottom of the bowl. en pour o the clean clam juice and add it to your bread crumb mixture. (Don’t worry if it looks soggy at this point.) I like to hand chop the clam meats instead of using a food processor. You want tasty clam chunks, not too big but not mush. Add the clams to the the bread crumb mix. At this point, if the clam mix looks very soggy, simply add a little more bread crumb to dry it out. 1/3 lb. bacon, cut in small squares to fit the clam shells Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Separate the clam shell halves and wash them, making sure you don’t have any shell fragments le in the clam shell. Fill them with the clam mixture, mounding them slightly, and placing each one on the baking sheet. I like to hand chop the clam meats instead of using a food processor. You want tasty clam chunks, not too big but not mush. Add the clams to the the bread crumb mix. At this point, if the clam mix looks very soggy, simply add a little more bread crumb to dry it out. 1/3 lb. bacon, cut in small squares to fit the clam shells Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Separate the clam shell halves and wash them, making sure you don’t have any shell fragments le in the clam shell. Fill them with the clam mixture, mounding them slightly, and placing each one on the baking sheet. • 1/2 tsp salt • 1 1/4 cup sugar • 3/4 cup vegetable oil • 2 eggs • 5 medium-sized bananas, peeled and mashed Cut the bacon in small squares to t the clam shells. Place a small piece of raw bacon on the top of each clam. Cut the bacon in small squares to t the clam shells. Place a small piece of raw bacon on the top of each clam.• 2 tsp real vanilla extract • Cooking spray Bake until the clams are just cooked through, the topping is golden, and the bacon is cooked, about 30 minutes. Bake until the clams are just cooked through, the topping is golden, and the bacon is cooked, about 30 minutes.

Directions Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set it aside. Combine the sugar and oil in a mixing bowl and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. (I use the whisk attachment.) Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until the mixture is light and lemon colored. With the mixer running at low-speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the bananas, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Blend well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and blend some more to mix. Pour the batter into 2 loaf pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the loaf pan on a wire rack. A bundt pan works as well. Remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool completely on the wire rack before slicing.