[1] Banana Trio: banana cake, banana ice cream and caramelized fresh banana (photo © Good Food On Montford | Charlotte).

[2] Deconstructed Banana Split with grilled bananas at Sushi Samba (photo © Sushi Samba).

August 27th is National Banana Lover’s Day, and April 21st is Banana Day. Time for a choice of banana recipes!

You won’t believe what the original banana looked like: nothing you’d want to eat! Check out the history of bananas and see the photos.

So how should you celebrate National Banana Day?

Consider this idea (photo #1) from Good Food On Montfort in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 
 
MORE BANANA RECIPES

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF BANANAS

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Add a burger, lettuce and tomato to this week’s products and you can make a different type of bacon cheeseburger.

Vive la différence!
 
 
1. DIESTEL UNCURED TURKEY BACON

Diestel Family Ranch sells turkey in every form imaginable, from the whole turkeys and cuts to ground turkey, hot dogs and sausages.

The birds are sustainably raised with care on family farms, with no antibiotics, growth stimulants, hormones or nitrates.

They eat a wholesome vegetarian diet, get plenty of fresh air, and have room to roam.

The latest in the product line is Uncured Turkey Bacon. Just crisp it in a pan or microwave, to serve with breakfast or to quickly add to a burger or sandwich.

 
Every Diestel product we’ve had has provided juicy turkey goodness, but switching to turkey bacon make us feel good about eating a healthy, lean meat alternative to conventional bacon.

 
Learn more at DiestelTurkey.com, and check out the recipes.
 
 
2. JARLSBERG SLICES

Many people who are lactose-intolerant have given up dairy cheeses for vegan cheeses—or no cheese at all.

But there are two cow’s milk cheeses that are 100% lactose free: Cheddar and Jarlsberg.

The total freedom from lactose—as opposed to other cheeses that have low lactose—is a function of the ripening process, where the remaining lactose is consumed by lactic acid bacteria.

Both are available in slices, ready for your burger.

 
Learn more about this delicious, nutty cheese at Jarlsberg.com.
 
 
3. NANDO’S HOT PERINAISE

Nando’s famous hot Peri-Peri Sauce has been subtly blended with creamy mayonnaise.

The result: fiery mayo for everyone who likes a hit of heat.

Use it:

 
Nando’s adds the fire and flavor of the peri-peri chile pepper to a range of sauces, marinades, spices, rubs and snacks.

The line is all natural, preservative- and MSG-free.

See the entire product line at Nandos.com.

[1] A turkey bacon cheeseburger with Diestel turkey bacon and burger, and slices of Jarlsberg cheese (photo © Diestel).

[2] Diestel Uncured Turkey Bacon is ready for eggs, a burger or other sandwich (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] We’ve long enjoyed Jarlsberg slices on burgers. Now Jarlsberg Cheese Snacks hit the spot for noshing (photo © Creative Pool).

[4] Hot Perinaise will spice up sandwiches, burgers, and much more (photo © Nando’s).

[1] Canned baked beans can’t compare to the homemade version (recipe and photo © DeLallo).

[2] In New England and elsewhere in the U.S., beans were baked in a dedicated beanpot (photo © Five Rings | Wikipedia).

[3] Add as many franks as you like, cut into bite-size chunks (photo © D’Artagnan).

[4] Pancetta is an Italian version of bacon. It is salt-cured pork belly meat that formed into a roll (photo © Di Bruno Bros.).

[5] Boston baked beans. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).

Sorry, Bush’s, but commercial baked beans are a sorry lot. They should be called “candied beans” for the amount of sugar in them.

While baked beans are supposed to have a savory-sweet flavor, the canned varieties we’ve tried really overdo the sweet part.

So eschew the canned beans. For Labor Day Weekend or any other festive occasion, bake your own.

Unlike one-dimensional canned baked beans, this recipe from DeLallo is layered with flavor from balsamic vinegar, beer and pancetta.

July 13th is National Beans ‘N’ Franks Day (or as we grew up saying it, franks and beans).
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE BAKED BEANS WITH OPTIONAL BACON OR FRANKS

This recipe can be made vegetarian/vegan, or can have added flavor from pancetta/bacon or franks/hot dogs.

That’s a lot of “slashes!” Can you use both pancetta and franks? Absolutely! It will deliver a “wow” factor.

Check out the different types of bacon.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F.

2. COOK the pancetta in a heavy, large, oven-safe pot over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. If using franks, they are pre-cooked so can simply be sliced and added to the bean mixture.

3. ADD the onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

4. MIX in the beer, tomato purée, brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the beans and bring to a simmer.

5. TRANSFER the pot to the oven and bake uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the bean mixture bubbles and thickens slightly, about 45 minutes.
 
 
BAKED BEANS HISTORY

Beans have been cultivated worldwide since ancient times, and baked bean dishes grace the cuisines of Europe—from French cassoulet to Portuguese feijoada.

However, the types of beans used to make baked beans are native to South America. They were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers around 1528 and traded and planted across North America by Native Americans before then.

What Americans call baked beans traces the recipe to different regions, each of which has its own twist on the recipe.

While many recipes today are actually stewed, rather than baked, beans, traditionally the beans are slow-baked in a ceramic or cast-iron pot.

In New England and elsewhere, a beanpot was used to bake the beans (photo #2).

A beanpot (photo #2) is a deep, wide-bellied, short-necked ceramic pots. The relatively narrow mouth of the beanpot minimizes evaporation and heat loss, while its deep, wide, thick-walled body facilitates long, slow cooking times.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Boston was a key port in the rum trade, with ships carrying rum and molasses (a rum by-product) between the Caribbean, Boston, and Africa.

Molasses was so plentiful and affordable that cooks put the sweetener in their slow-cooked beans as well as in porridge, dessert, and other dishes.

In the U.S., the dish dates back to pre-colonial America, when Native Americans cooked beans in They later taught the technique to the Pilgrims, who borrowed the slow-cook method as a way to avoid working during the Sabbath.

With the advent of canned food in the mid-1800s, canned baked beans were among the first convenience foods, called “pork and beans” or “beans with pork.”

Then as now, the pork component is typically a piece of salt pork fat [source].

Check out the history of beans and the history of hot dogs.
 
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*Pancetta is Italian back bacon, available smoked or unsmoked. By comparison, American “streaky bacon,” also available smoked or unsmoked, is cut from the belly of the pig—one of the fattiest parts of the animal. Check out the different types of bacon.

If you’re going to kick back this weekend with friends and some lovely libations, or have a group over for brunch, you may need a snack idea.

Here it is: DIY Crostini.

The crunchy little toasts are great with wine or beer, and a fun food when people add their own toppings.

Set out all kinds of sweet and savory toast toppings and let your guests help themselves. We’ve got flavor combo ideas galore, but let your imagination run wild.

You decide how many options you want to offer. Here’s are some options, plus a recipe for White Bean Dip & Spread below.
 
 
RECIPE #1: DIY CROSTINI

SPREADS

Guests start by choosing a spread for the crostini:

 
TOPPINGS

Offer as many or as few as you like:

 
 
RECIPE #2: WHITE BEAN SPREAD

Ingredients

 
Preparation

[1] Crostini topped with white bean spread and a selection of garnishes (photo © DeLallo Foods).

[2] Crostini with ricotta topping. Here’s the recipe from topping ideas from Honestly Yum (photo © Honestly Yum),

[3] Crostini with hummus and pimento and basil (photo © Gaea Olive Oil).

2. MAKE the crostini. Heat the oven to 400°F. Slice the bread and drizzle with olive oil on both sides. Bake for 10 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.

[1] Green goddess: a crudité plate of green lettuces (photo © Empellon | NYC

[2] California-grown Castelfranco chicory (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Variegated radicchio, radicchio variegato di castelfranco IGP. IGP is an acronym for indicazione geografica protetta, meaning it can only be grown in a specified region—In this case, the Castelfranco Veneto region of Italy. It is the terroir* of this region that produces the ivory color (photo © Lavanda Peperina).

[4] Treviso radicchio. It is easy to confuse this radicchio with red endive, which looks similar but is a hybrid of Belgian endive and Treviso radicchio (photo © Good Eggs).

In the U.S., for decades upon decades, ladies setting a fine table began dinner with a crystal, porcelain or silver “relish tray.”

This typically consisted of raw carrots, celery sticks and radishes, plus gherkins and olives. No dip, just veggies.

The relish tray, often made with sections to separate the items, was meant as a quick bite until the first course arrived.

It was an Americanization of the French dish called crudités, which could comprise raw vegetables of every description, artfully cut and arranged on a platter.

There was no creamy dip, as many Americans serve today, but a vinaigrette with minced fresh herbs.

In the U.S., the concept has evolved to include much of which is in the produce department.Many of us even call our raw vegetable plate crudités (CROO-dih-tay).

In our home, where “more is more,” this meant quite the spread:

Bell pepper strips, broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrots and celery (of course!), cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, endive, green beans, mushrooms, radishes, scallions, snow peas or sugar snap peas, zucchini and/or yellow summer squash.

In essence: it meant (and still means) anything that tastes good raw and can easily be picked up and dipped.

We’re happy to have leftovers for the next day. If you have too many, steam some of them.

Here’s more about the history of crudités in America.
 
 
A NEW IDEA FOR CRUDITÉS

Recently, we came across this photo (photo #1) from Empellón restaurant in New York City:

An assemblage of beautiful lettuces, including radicchio and chicory, served crudites-style with a dip.

Note that in addition to categories we think of as lettuce—bibb lettuce, Boston lettuce, iceberg lettuce, leaf lettuce and romaine—these are also fall in the lettuce category:

 
While watercress is a leafy vegetable, it is in a different family, genus and species from lettuce.

 
 
NEXT STEP

While the farmers markets still have a beautiful assortment of lettuces, serve it with whatever dip you like—from a light Dijon vinaigrette to chunky blue cheese (recipe below).

In addition to the familiar, try the unusual. Whatever you pick should be firm enough to dip.

This dressing is good enough to eat by the spoonful. Try it on different styles of potatoes, too.

The better the blue cheese, the more delicious the dip.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND the milk and distilled white vinegar in a medium bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir. [This creates buttermilk—a good tip for when you have a recipe that requires a small amount. To make a cup of buttermilk, add a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar (not white wine vinegar) to a one-cup measure. Fill to the rim with milk and let stand five minutes.]

2. ADD the blue cheese to the buttermilk, and mash with a fork until the mixture is combined.

3. ADD the sour cream, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Mix with fork to combine.

4. PLACE into a container with a tight seal. Refrigerate and let set for at least 4 hour; preferably overnight.

_________________

*Pronounced tuhr-WAH, terroir is the French expression for sense of place, the unique environment in which something grows—its specific soil composition and microclimate. Microclimate includes temperature, amount of sunshine and rain. The flavor nuances of agricultural products, from grapes to olives to milk to cacao, is a function of its terroir.

†There are numerous varieties of every green, including radicchio (rah-DEE-key-yo) and chicory. Many of them have common ancestors, and can look similar. With radicchio, an Italian leaf chicory, there are different varieties, each named after the region in Italy where it is grown. The most common variety in the U.S. is radicchio di Chioggia (pronounced key-YO-guh), a round, tightly-packed head of dark maroon leaves with thick white veins.