Keik me Tahini kai Banana--Tahini and Banana Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

There's something about a streusel topping that makes people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It must be all that brown sugar and cinnamon. Add some walnuts and a handful of chocolate chips ... now you've got a little piece of heaven in every bite.

I made this cake last week and I couldn't stop eating it. Not to toot my own horn or anything ... but neither could my husband; or our children; not to mention my mom enjoyed it too; oh, and a friend who'd stopped by for a quick cup of coffee said it should be selling in a bakery. And do you know what the best part is? Although this cake tasted so rich and flavorful, there was no butter. Instead, I used some tahini and no one was the wiser. Did I mention a friend said it was worthy of selling in a bakery? Just checking!

Tahini and Banana Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel
(Inspired by a recipe on Epicurious.com)
Makes an 8-inch square cake

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup tahini

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 large (very ripe) bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8x2 inch square baking pan and set aside. In a bowl, combine the chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon and stir. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until well combined.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the tahini and sugar and mix on medium high speed for a couple of minutes. Add the egg, then the vanilla and bananas and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir in the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle half the streusel topping over the batter. Pour remaining batter over and spread it evenly with your spatula being careful to keep it from combining with the streusel below. Finally, top with the remaining streusel and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Keik me Fraoules kai Karydia--Strawberry Walnut Loaf

Strawberry season is on and our local fruit and vegetable markets are brimming with containers of these ripe red berries. The kiddies can eat an entire quart in the blink of an eye so I barely ever get to set some aside for anything (or, ehem, anyone) else. But as strawberries now are ridiculously fresh and really inexpensive, I didn't hesitate to buy a few extra the other day.

I love quick fresh cakes that double as a breakfast option and a healthy snack. So it was a no-brainer that any extra strawberries on hand would make it into one such sweet treat. Moist, just sweet enough and loaded with fresh strawberries this Strawberry and Walnut Loaf is the perfect way to put your strawberries to good use.

As Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasures is hosting the event Strawberry Feast, I am sending this her way.



Strawberry Walnut Loaf

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

Stir in half of the flour mixture, then all the yogurt and finally the remaining flour. Mix in the sliced strawberries and walnuts until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in center of oven for about 40 minutes, until golden or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Note: To dress this simple treat up, drizzle a simple glaze over top or serve with freshly whipped cream.

Nistisima Papoutsakia/Eggplants Stuffed with Tomato, Onion and Walnuts

The term papoutsakia is literally translated to "little shoes" and as these small eggplants stuffed with tomato, onion and walnuts truly do resemble little shoes (maybe even little ballet slippers) they are aptly named as such.

There are numerous versions of papoutsakia to be had in Greece including ones stuffed with ground meat and topped with bechamel, others stuffed with ground meat and topped simply with cheese and others still filled simply with tomatoes and onion or really any variety of sauteed vegetables.

Today, I whipped up this Lenten version of papoutsakia in which I filled these tiny, flavorful eggplant halves with plenty of onion, tomatoes and some chopped walnuts to add a little texture and crunch to an otherwise "soft" dish. A little skeptical of adding too much seasoning here, I used just a pinch of allspice and curry to liven things up a bit. In the end, I love how these papoutsakia turned out. This is a great make-ahead side dish/appetizer as the flavors develop even better after sitting for a while. Moreover, you can serve this dish warm (not hot) or at room temperature.


Papoutsakia Nistisima/Lenten Stuffed Eggplants
Makes 6 servings

12 small eggplants
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium to large onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup water
Pinch of sugar
Small bunch parsley, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of curry
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Clean eggplants and trim tops. Cut in half and with a spoon scoop out the flesh of each eggplant and set aside. Place the eggplant halves into a colander and season generously with sea salt. Leave the eggplants in the colander set over a large plate or in the sink while you make the filling.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Finely chop the eggplant flesh you've just scooped out. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the onion; saute until soft. Add the garlic and the chopped eggplant flesh and cook until the flesh is softened and browned. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and water and bring to boil. Add the sugar, parsley, walnuts, allspice and curry and cook for a couple minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

Rinse the eggplant halves under cold water and shake the colander well to remove most of the moisture. Oil a large baking dish and line the eggplant halves up in the dish. Fill each eggplant half with filling (a couple of tablespoons should do). Drizzle with more olive oil, add a bit of water to the baking dish and place in the oven until the eggplant halves are softened. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Persimmon Walnut Cake in Orange Syrup

A couple weeks ago I brought home a large shopping bag full of persimmons that my uncle had picked straight off a tree in his garden, right there in the heart of good old Astoria. Every fall I am amazed at just how much fruit this tree produces (the photo you see above of what I was given is probably just a fifth of what my uncle had picked that day, not to mention how many persimmons various birds had feasted on prior to his picking them).

I love to eat them as is, but there were so many and as my husband and kids aren't thrilled with this fruit in particular, I really wanted to use a few in my cooking. So I started to look up recipes and found quite a few savory dishes, but what I was really craving was something sweet. So I got to thinking of a play on karydopita (Greek walnut cake) ... maybe a dense cake of persimmons, walnuts, cinnamon and other spices soaked in a sweet orange scented syrup.

This recipe features a good amount of ground walnuts but I use flour here as opposed to the ground rusks in a traditional karydopita, so I'm not labeling it as such. The pureed persimmons lend a subtle fruit flavor to this rich cake.

I'd like to send this dessert over to Ivy of Kopiaste, Val of More than Burnt Toast and Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen for their Time to be Thankful event. I am thankful every day for the amazingly beautiful, large and loving family I have. We are lucky enough to enjoy warm meals every day of the week and I only wish I could say as much for everyone in the world. Perhaps some day things will be different.

Persimmon Walnut Cake in Orange Scented Syrup
Makes one 10-inch round cake


3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 to 5 ripe persimmons, pureed or mashed with a fork if very ripe
1 3/4 cups ground walnuts


Syrup:
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons thyme honey
3-inch strip of orange rind
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves



Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan.

In a bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice and baking soda and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Add the persimmons and ground walnuts and stir until just combined.

Empty batter into prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes or so.

While the cake is baking, combine the water, sugar and honey for the syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Spoon off any white froth that may accumulate and add the orange rind, cinnamon stick and cloves. Simmer, covered, over medium low heat until the cake is done.

Pour hot syrup over hot cake once it's removed from the oven. Cool completely and, if possible, let sit for a couple of hours--or even overnight--before cutting and serving.