Dinner Tonight

The birthday cake went down well, in fact none of us could wait and we ate some for elevensies and then went for lunch. We spent the afternoon at Granville Island (with the requisite visit to the Granville Island Brewery for a taster round). On the way back to the water taxi we passed through the market so that I could stop at Terra Breads, and Oyama Deli. This is the best deli and charcuterie in Vancouver as far as I'm concerned. It's run by a family who raises their own animals, and processes their own meats. I bought some butter chicken sausages which smelled amazingly like the dish my arteries have come to love. Mom and Dad, I don't think you've ever had butter chicken, Dad you would hate it, but think cream and fenugreek and chicken. So today, I made an angel hair pasta with sausage and summer tomato sauce. It's not really summer here yet, but the fog lifted for the first time in five days, and we had some sun for a change. It was a great excuse to celebrate with food. Who am I kidding? I never need an excuse. 

Angel Hair Pasta with Sausage and Summer Tomato Sauce (Rachel, use very firm tofu)

On high heat in medium saucepan, heat 4 large sausages and one cup of white wine with one cup of water until simmering. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Remove sausages and allow to cool. Add 1/2 cup cooking sherry to liquid, and reduce until 1/3 cup liquid remains.

 Add 2 tbsp butter to pan and a tbsp olive oil, add 1 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper and sausages cut up into 1/4 inch rounds. Fry until onion and sausage are completely cooked through. Add 2 cups finely chopped tomatoes and heat through. Meanwhile cook pasta, only briefly though, angel hair cooks quickly. Before draining, transfer 1/2 cup of pasta water to tomato sauce and heat. Toss drained pasta with generous amount of olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add sausage and sauce. 

While the sauce was reducing, I made use of my ageing bananas, but found I didn't have enough banana for my Betty C recipe. I cheated and the results were very good. I highly recommend the following substitutions....

Where the recipe called for 1 cup and 1/2 of mashed banana, I had only one, so I topped it up with yogurt. Also, the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter milk, and I used the left over sour cream from Ursula's cake. Also, of the 2 and 1/2 cups of flour, I replaced one cup with whole wheat flour. The bread is so light and moist. It could even change my mind about the moratorium I have on all foods that are called "loaf" but are not bread. 

Banana Bread

1 1/4 c sugar

1/2 c butter

2 large eggs

1 c mashed ripe banana

1/2 c high fat yogurt (I have 6%)

1/2 c full fat sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c unbleached flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

heat oven to 350 and set rack so that top of loaf will be in centre of the oven. Grease bottom of pan (mine is about 12x4x4) but not sides.

Mix sugar and butter until blended. Add eggs, beat until fluffy. Add bananas, yogurt, vanilla and sour cream. Beat until smooth. Add flour, soda and salt a little at a time. 

Pour in pan, bake approximately an hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.