Gluten-free Chocolate Banana Raspberry Muffins

Well with an abundance of raspberries it just makes sense to make a batch of muffins.  I've tweaked the muffin recipe from one of The Moosewood Collective Cookbooks http://www.amazon.ca/Moosewood-Restaurant-Cooks-Home-Recipes/dp/0671679929/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279930804&sr=1-2 to make it gluten-free and of course extra chocolatey!  

In a bowl combine 1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.  

In another bowl mix the following dry ingredients:  2 cups All Purpose Gluten-free Flour (I like to use #209 from the Bulk Barn http://www.bulkbarn.ca/en-ca/index.html here in Winnipeg.  It is a mixture of Garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, tapica flour, white sorghum flour, and fava bean flour.  I prefer this flour over a rice based mix because I find the texture holds better and is not so fragile.), 1 teaspoon of gluten-free baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon xanthan gum.  Fold into the bowl of wet ingredients, careful not to overmix.    

Add 1 1/2 cups of bananas (about 3-4), 1 cup white chocolate, and 1 cup of fresh raspberries.  Bake in a 350 degree preheated over for about 25 minutes, testing the centre for with a toothpick for doneness.  

Enjoy!    

Broad Beans

The latest gift coming from the garden this week are broad beans.  As a wee little gal, I can not remember any enjoyment from picking these beans.  The experience was always marked with "stop picking the soft ones" as my father added, "pick the firm ones".  I wished that the crop would self-destruct but instead it is one of the easiest crops to grow being among the most ancient plants in cultivation.  As an adult, I have developed an appreciation for this richly delicious bean.  

And broad beans are highly nutritious.  They are rich in protein, phosphorous, and vitamins A, C, P, E, K.  Fresh broad beans have also been credited with helping to keep cholesterol levels low.   

When picking these beans, the pods should be pale green and feel full, soft, and tender.  The beans, ideally, need to be eaten within a couple of days and should be stored in the refrigerator.  Otherwise the carbohydrates in the beans turn to sugar therefore altering the flavour of the bean.  If you are unable to use the fresh beans within this time they do freeze well and should be frozen soon after gathering.  Shell the beans and place on a cookie sheet to freeze just as you would with berries.  

 

Young broad beans can be cooked whole, rinsed and boiled for no more than 5 minutes until tender.  However, as the beans become older they tend to develop a tough outer skin.  If this is the case boil the beans lightly, then remove the outer skin when cooled.  

Here is my favourite recipe for using fresh (or frozen) broad beans.  

Broad Beans With Chourico

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan.  Add 5 3/4 oz sliced chourico and saute for a few minutes.  Add one small chopped white onion and saute for a few more minutes until the onions begin to get soft and the chourico starts to brown.  Add 3 cloves of garlic, and continue to cook for a minute more.  Season with black pepper and a small chili pepper.  Add 1/2 cup of white wine and allow to cook until some of the wine has reduced a wee bit.  Add 2 cups of fresh (or frozen) broad beans and allow to cook on high heat for a few minutes until beans and tender when tested with a fork and until the flavours have been allowed to mingle.  There should be just a bit of sauce at the bottom of the pan at this point.  Stir in a handful of fresh parsley and a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar.  Season with salt and black pepper if needed.  Serve warm with grilled Portuguese bread.  

  

Serves 4-6.

  

Trudeau: Long March & Shining Path

Trudeau--Long March & Shining Path
by George Elliott Clark
Gaspereau Press Ltd.  




George Elliott Clarke crafted a lyrical poem in an imaginative and beautiful way to capture the mythical persona of one of Canada's political figures.  Trudeau:  Long March & Shining Path imagines the missing details of one of Canada's flamboyant and controversial hereos.  Clarke takes liberties in filling in the blanks that headlines failed to fill in.  
     
     Reporters when will you stop
     scheming up nightmares from ink and scotch! (Clarke 97)


Trudeau is a fast-paced jazzy number that is written as the libretto for a new opera by Canadian jazz pianist and composer D.D. Jackson.  Trudeau, as re-created by Clarke, is all about jazz in the sense that Trudeau and jazz have a special relationship to time.  Jazz, like Trudeau, eludes a strict definition and has the ability to absorb and transform influences.  


     Damn each history!  Each bio!
     There can be but the one "Trudeau"
     But your Trudeau?  And my Trudeau? (17)


Clarke cleaverly suggests this connection to jazz not only with the musical genre but also the key scenes, timelines, and influential figures that Trudeau encounters.  It is a beautifully written exploration into the juxtaposition between jazz and the mythical and historical Trudeau.  


Well worth the read.