Sample recipe from Mexican Cooking: Plantanos

In the foreword to the recipe the author mentions that the genuine dish is made with plantains and that lard is popular for frying them in. The recipe as given, however, calls for bananas, butter and baking. It looks quite good, and should I choose to make it the recipe of the week, I think I would try both options. The lard might be a problem, but I know I can get plantains.

4 servings:

4 bananas (should ideally be still green at the ends so they will retain some firmness when cooked)
60 g sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbs butter

This is obviously an intuitive recipe: the only instructions given are to bake the above ingredients at 160°C for 15 minutes. However, there is a photo which gives clues, so by playing Sherlock I have arrived at the following recipe: peel the bananas and cut in half, crosswise and again lengthwise. Arrange tightly together in an oven pan or casserole dish, cut side up. Dot with butter and bake as instructed above. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon before serving.

An examination of similar recipes suggests that the sugar and cinnamon should be sprinkled on before baking, which I completely agree with.

Other suggestions include serving warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, using them to make a banana split, or flambéing in strong rum.

Alternatively, fry them in the butter until they are soft, sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon near the end of the frying time and let the sugar caramelise slightly before serving warm.

Recipe from Moroccan Cooking: Orange salad

It isn’t clear from the book whether this is supposed to be a side dish, an entrée or a dessert, but I can imagine it being good as any of those. I can even imagine eating it, well chilled, for refreshment on a hot afternoon instead of ice cream.

I was unable to find the Moroccan name for this salad, but I did find information saying it is good served with lamb dishes.

Serves: 6.
Time: 15 minutes.

6 ripe oranges
8 dates, chopped
1/4 cup blanched almonds, slivered
Orange flower water
1 tbs mint leaves, chopped
Ground cinnamon

Peel oranges, removing all pith, and slice crossways. Put in a shallow dish with dates and almonds and flavour to taste with orange flower water. Sprinkle lightly with mint and cinnamon and serve.

Recipe from Quick Dishes: Grapefruit with brown sugar and nuts

Prep time: 10 minutes
1-2 servings

1/2 – 1 grapefruit (I recommend pink grapefruit)
8-10 hazelnuts or almonds
1/2 tbs brown sugar

Set oven temperature at 250°C (480°F). Cut the grapefruit in half crosswise. Loosen the grape meat from the membranes with a grape knife or grape spoon. Coarsely chop the nuts. Sprinkle nuts and brown sugar over the fruit halves. Bake in the oven for a few minutes until the surface begins to brown.

*
Having tried two different varieties of baked grapefruit last weekend (both with meringue), I recommend removing all the flesh from the fruit, removing and discarding the membranes, mixing the flesh with the nuts and sugar and putting it back in the halves. It may not look as good, but makes less of a mess when you eat it.

Baked grapefruit

the recipe