Food and Recipes while under Coronavirus quarantine #7

[snooptroop88]

Pesto variation/no pine nuts, "some" fresh basil+some lettuce, + heavy parsley
So the store where I go never has pine nuts. Okay, so I'm not able to make pesto. So I saw sunflower seeds and tried those. I used some fresh basil, not all that much. Some iceberg lettuce, really good parm cheese, like Tillamook, and some mozzarella. Overnight, I let the garlic, basil, some lettuce, olive oil, sunflower seeds, and parm (lil s&p) kind of just meld and marry all together in the same little bowl. Next day, I added more garlic, more lettuce (lil more), fairly heavy parsley, some shredded mozz. Pureed, really happy with it. Wouldn't know the difference on the pine nuts.

 

[IceIce9]

Pesto variation/no pine nuts, "some" fresh basil+some lettuce, + heavy parsley
So the store where I go never has pine nuts. Okay, so I'm not able to make pesto. So I saw sunflower seeds and tried those. I used some fresh basil, not all that much. Some iceberg lettuce, really good parm cheese, like Tillamook, and some mozzarella. Overnight, I let the garlic, basil, some lettuce, olive oil, sunflower seeds, and parm (lil s&p) kind of just meld and marry all together in the same little bowl. Next day, I added more garlic, more lettuce (lil more), fairly heavy parsley, some shredded mozz. Pureed, really happy with it. Wouldn't know the difference on the pine nuts.

I love pine nuts, one of my favorite ingredients to use in recipes. But they have gotten very expensive! I usually get them at Costco and they increased to $32 for a pound for some time but are down to $29.99/pound now.

Trader Joe’s has them in 3 ounce packages and Whole Foods sells them too.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Pesto variation/no pine nuts, "some" fresh basil+some lettuce, + heavy parsley
So the store where I go never has pine nuts. Okay, so I'm not able to make pesto. So I saw sunflower seeds and tried those. I used some fresh basil, not all that much. Some iceberg lettuce, really good parm cheese, like Tillamook, and some mozzarella. Overnight, I let the garlic, basil, some lettuce, olive oil, sunflower seeds, and parm (lil s&p) kind of just meld and marry all together in the same little bowl. Next day, I added more garlic, more lettuce (lil more), fairly heavy parsley, some shredded mozz. Pureed, really happy with it. Wouldn't know the difference on the pine nuts.

I make pesto frequently and rarely use pine nuts. I made parsley pesto with salted roasted almonds last week. I've made pesto with fresh basil, baby spinach, arugula, and parsley or a combination of two of these greens. I use walnuts, pecans, almonds, or a combination of nuts that I have on hand. I sometimes make pine nut cookies during the holidays and will use those for pesto if I don't use the entire small jar for the cookies. I haven't looked for pine nuts anywhere besides Nino Salvaggio's. They don't carry them in bulk like other nuts. Pine nuts come in a small jar and are in the Italian aisle with pesto, sundried tomatoes, capers, etc.

Pignoli Cookies

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[IceIce9]

I use pine nuts in quite a few recipes, I think they go well with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes. When my tomatoes get ripe and basil ready to pick I make salads and stir frys with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil, pine nuts, and other ingredients.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I don’t know if anyone remembers this. During the beginning of Covid I was trying to find the small cans of V8 Strawberry Banana drinks. Not only were they scarce, the price skyrocketed. Publix has them now. All the flavors & types were BOGO, except this one. Probably because it’s popular.

I found fish squares that aren’t as thick or as big as McDs. I baked them on the rack again. Homemade double fish sandwich for dinner. Gordon’s brand, much better than the Mrs Paul’s I had last time. Yes, that’s a blurry pic of Joey the foster dog hoping for a bite!

 

[IceIce9]

I don’t know if anyone remembers this. During the beginning of Covid I was trying to find the small cans of V8 Strawberry Banana drinks. Not only were they scarce, the price skyrocketed. Publix has them now. All the flavors & types were BOGO, except this one. Probably because it’s popular.

I found fish squares that aren’t as thick or as big as McDs. I baked them on the rack again. Homemade double fish sandwich for dinner. Gordon’s brand, much better than the Mrs Paul’s I had last time. Yes, that’s a blurry pic of Joey the foster dog hoping for a bite!

It all looks delicious. I wish I could find those fish squares, they are just the right size for a sandwich.

If you keep posting pictures of Joey I might have to drive down to Florida and bring him home

 

[Gemmie]

I make pesto frequently and rarely use pine nuts. I made parsley pesto with salted roasted almonds last week. I've made pesto with fresh basil, baby spinach, arugula, and parsley or a combination of two of these greens. I use walnuts, pecans, almonds, or a combination of nuts that I have on hand. I sometimes make pine nut cookies during the holidays and will use those for pesto if I don't use the entire small jar for the cookies. I haven't looked for pine nuts anywhere besides Nino Salvaggio's. They don't carry them in bulk like other nuts. Pine nuts come in a small jar and are in the Italian aisle with pesto, sundried tomatoes, capers, etc.

Pignoli Cookies

Get Pignoli Cookies Recipe from Food Network

www.foodnetwork.com

The last pesto I made was radish green lemon pesto. I added some fresh basil leaves but it was primarily radish greens. I did that because the radishes I bought had lovely greens still attached and wanted to do something with them. I used pine nuts which I keep a stash in my freezer. In fact, I still have some in the freezer that I'll be using in the next day or two with Trader Joe's lemon ricotta ravioli. I'll be making a tomato pesto sauce for the ravioli.

 

[whiterhino]

I don’t know if anyone remembers this. During the beginning of Covid I was trying to find the small cans of V8 Strawberry Banana drinks. Not only were they scarce, the price skyrocketed. Publix has them now. All the flavors & types were BOGO, except this one. Probably because it’s popular.

I found fish squares that aren’t as thick or as big as McDs. I baked them on the rack again. Homemade double fish sandwich for dinner. Gordon’s brand, much better than the Mrs Paul’s I had last time. Yes, that’s a blurry pic of Joey the foster dog hoping for a bite!

Oh my gosh that little doggy is so adorable

I feel guilty seeing everyones baking and cooking pics. Tonight I had a small Papa Johns pizza with a snack size chocolate shake for dinner

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I love pine nuts, one of my favorite ingredients to use in recipes. But they have gotten very expensive! I usually get them at Costco and they increased to $32 for a pound for some time but are down to $29.99/pound now.

Trader Joe’s has them in 3 ounce packages and Whole Foods sells them too.

Do you toast the pine nuts when you use them in recipes? Some recipes call for toasting the pine nuts prior to use in a dish, i.e. pesto. They are so delicate that I worry about burning them.

 

[IceIce9]

Do you toast the pine nuts when you use them in recipes? Some recipes call for toasting the pine nuts prior to use in a dish, i.e. pesto. They are so delicate that I worry about burning them.

I have toasted them before but most times I just use them raw.

When I toast them I just stir in a skillet over low heat. I think the secret is to stir continuously, use low heat and watch them carefully. It doesn’t take very long to toast them.

 

[BUF]

Do you toast the pine nuts when you use them in recipes? Some recipes call for toasting the pine nuts prior to use in a dish, i.e. pesto. They are so delicate that I worry about burning them.

Not OP, but I always toast my pine nuts, actually most nuts as I think it brings the flavor out. I usually toast them in the oven spreading them out on a baking sheet @325 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Okay, here are some pics! First a few taken by my partner.

The bananas were planted by my late stepfather, years ago. As far as I know, they are Cavendish.

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The trees are maybe eight or ten feet tall? They're certainly well taller than I am.

There's a picture of one of the bunches we harvested.

And the reddish thing is the banana flower.

I'll put the other pics in another post!

There’s a lot of those banana trees here in FL. They are very popular with the Hispanic population. They’re not sweet at all to me. We didn’t care for the bread I made with them.

 

[iamshadow21]

There’s a lot of those banana trees here in FL. They are very popular with the Hispanic population. They’re not sweet at all to me. We didn’t care for the bread I made with them.

There are different varieties. Cavendish are very much a sweeter banana. But you get things like plantains that are used more like a vegetable in certain food cultures that aren't so sweet, more starchy, like potatoes.

 

[PayrollNerd]

There are different varieties. Cavendish are very much a sweeter banana. But you get things like plantains that are used more like a vegetable in certain food cultures that aren't so sweet, more starchy, like potatoes.

Yeah my girls love plantains but I do not. There are a number of different types of banana trees here but they're all short stubby and flavorless to us.

 

[anneg]

There are different varieties. Cavendish are very much a sweeter banana. But you get things like plantains that are used more like a vegetable in certain food cultures that aren't so sweet, more starchy, like potatoes.

Years ago when we visited friends in Tobago, a Caribbean island, they had banana trees on their property. We enjoyed the small bananas, which were somewhat sweet and quite tasty. They used them to make yummy banana pancakes for breakfast. I didn't get the recipe, but I don't make pancakes anymore.

 

[Seni]

There are different varieties. Cavendish are very much a sweeter banana. But you get things like plantains that are used more like a vegetable in certain food cultures that aren't so sweet, more starchy, like potatoes.

Yes, we squash them and fry- patacones. Crunchy and delicious . When they are softer they are sweeter and are good with curries

 

[whiterhino]

I am geeking out that we're discussing banana varieties!!!

The mini bananas seem more of a novelty. I didn't think they were that sweet and a bit mealy tbh. The plantains I had were in a dish with roasted chicken and were a sort of "flambe" style with mango and something else. Sweet potato?

https://whatbanana.com/what-is-the-difference-between-dole-and-chiquita-bananas/

"Along with Del Monte, they control 40% of the banana trade. However, it’s unlikely that most people can even tell the difference between the two top brands of bananas. Both producers use the standard, commercial strain of banana known as the Cavendish. However, Chiquita grows a specific variety of it known as Grand Nain. These are said to be slightly larger than Dole bananas. It is rumored that Chiquita has genetically modified their bananas, but there is no substantial evidence of this."

They're also highly nutritious (full of carbs fyi). I've started adding a banana and yogurt to my A.M routine bc I have to take meds in the morning but never ready for breakfast at that time.

 

[snooptroop88]

Not OP, but I always toast my pine nuts, actually most nuts as I think it brings the flavor out. I usually toast them in the oven spreading them out on a baking sheet @325 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

I never toast, honestly. I don't usually toast the pine nuts, and didn't toast the sunflower seeds.

Gonna try arugula and radish leaves with combinations now. And will maybe try to toast the nuts, too.

 

[IceIce9]

I am geeking out that we're discussing banana varieties!!!

The mini bananas seem more of a novelty. I didn't think they were that sweet and a bit mealy tbh. The plantains I had were in a dish with roasted chicken and were a sort of "flambe" style with mango and something else. Sweet potato?

https://whatbanana.com/what-is-the-difference-between-dole-and-chiquita-bananas/

"Along with Del Monte, they control 40% of the banana trade. However, it’s unlikely that most people can even tell the difference between the two top brands of bananas. Both producers use the standard, commercial strain of banana known as the Cavendish. However, Chiquita grows a specific variety of it known as Grand Nain. These are said to be slightly larger than Dole bananas. It is rumored that Chiquita has genetically modified their bananas, but there is no substantial evidence of this."

They're also highly nutritious (full of carbs fyi). I've started adding a banana and yogurt to my A.M routine bc I have to take meds in the morning but never ready for breakfast at that time.

Since we are talking about bananas, I want to mention that every time I have purchased bananas from Aldi’s they have been terrible. They go from greenish to too ripe. The texture is weird, not like bananas from other stores. I finally stopped buying bananas at Aldi.

I know it isn’t just me because I have heard other people talk about it too. And I’ve read a few lists about items that you shouldn’t buy at Aldi’s and bananas are always on the lists.

I read somewhere that bananas are on of the most returned items at Aldi’s.

I wonder if Aldi sells a different variety of bananas?

 

[Curious Me]

Thai Bananas-- Just when I started to buy a totally different kind of banana than I normally buy, the subject here went to bananas. I was amazed someone on this thread has a small banana tree. So, I want to share how much I enjoy the taste of these little bananas.

They're not as sweet and don't seem to get sickening overripe fast. To me they've got a slight dash of a citrus flavor, and seem to be a little firmer. I live near a World Market and they always have bunches of really green ones. I just break off a smaller bunch.

They're either #3 or #4 in the article. I'd guess #4 because it mentions a mild astringent taste, but they're little and rounder maybe like #3. They're good, and I don't think they ripened as fast as the long bananas which is a plus.​

Banana in Vietnamese cuisine – Cuisine of Vietnam

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