I've been on a banana kick lately. It's not so much out of concern for increasing my fresh fruit intake as much as it is my sheer, unadulterated laziness. You see, after a day of tasting food and writing about food and taking fun little pictures of food the last thing I want to do is see/read/touch/the stuff when I get home. Luckily for me this culinary exhaustion only lasts a few hours and then I start dreaming about gluttony all over again.
When this happens I usually want to go for the easiest, simplest thing possible. Enter the banana. High in carbs but low in fats, the banana is what I consider a remarkable fruit. It's quick, handy, and utterly satisfying, delivering significant amounts of vitamin C and potassium in one compact carrying case. It's my one "go-to" food when I'm over food. It requires no thought, it satisfies and it's better than a mindless bag of salty chips. Ok, most of the time.
I'd like to say that I've tried numerous methods in my kitchen and offer you "the best banana bread!" recipe or "the world's ultimate banana muffin!" instead of the recipe that is at the end of this blog, but I haven't. I'm not much of a baker. But I can tell you this: I can make a mean Bananas Foster. Heaven knows I've got plenty of practice! (I've made it my life's goal to perfect any recipe that utilizes alcohol, you know.)
So tonight, I'll put aside the stack of food magazines that need to be read, I'll stop researching the 12 plus bottles of bbq sauce on my desk for a grilling sauce taste-off, I'll turn off the cell phone and sit down to a favorite of the King himself.
And here I said I wanted something simple for dinner?
The Elvis
I first had this sandwich at The Peanut Butter Company located in the West Village. My friend looked at me in horror when I ate the whole thing and then asked me "How could you? How could you eat that?" I told her it was simple. With my mouth.
Ingredients
Thick sliced bread (wheat works best, methinks)
Peanut butter
Banana slices
Honey
Bacon - optional (preferably thick sliced, just the way the King liked it)
Method
Toast the bread and slather both sides with peanut butter. Yes, slather. Top one piece of bread with sliced bananas, bacon and drizzle with honey on top. Place remaining slice of bread on top and enjoy.
Grab napkins. It's messy.
12 Responses to “Gone Bananas”
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About me
- I'm Matt Armendariz
- From Los Angeles, California
- A man with a passion for good food and a wonderful life with a dash of irreverence. Read at your own risk. Advertising director by day, wino by night. All photos on this site by Matt Armendariz.
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ATOM 0.3
oh... bananas are my favourite fruit. they are perfect... can be made into a savoury or sweet treat and comes in their own enviro-friendly packaging. the thing is, that in australia they have recently become a luxury item with prices reaching $10 a kilo due to cyclones destroying most of the banana crops. so now we buy them in couples and they come home green... waiting to ripen. *sigh*
Deborah,
WOW WOW WO! I had no idea that bananas can be priced so high! I realize that food is affected by weather and events, but $10 a kilo? My goodness!
I will cherish my beloved banana even more! thanks for the comment!
Hmm, it looks interesting.
Peanut buttered bread with banana, honey and meat. It is interesting...
I've seen interesting things growning on fruits, Matt, but never anything like that!
They don't call me Tana Banana for nothin'!
: D
Dad used to eat those, except with mayo....
Eleven bypassed arteries later, they are no longer on his menu.
But man, are they good. And I thought it was a southern thing.
Thank you for always making me laugh, great post!
~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/
I will definitely be trying this as a variation on the peanut butter and banana sandwich theme. I tried the Elvis fried peanut butter and banana sandwich as a bit of a joke - I tried to hate it, I wanted to hate it - but it was so good, I loved it! Uh-Oh.
I remember reading an interview with Elvis' former cook who used to prepare these peanut butter-bacon-banana sandwiches for the King. She said that she would cook it slowly in a pan like a grilled cheese sandwich, gradually adding butter as it sizzled away. Then she'd add more butter, wait for the bread to soak it up, and then add more. Elvis was purportedly only satisfied when she had used an entire stick of butter on one sandwich! So, when you look at your sandwich, it looks positively healthy in comparison. So you could probably eat two. Great photo, by the way.
Matt, I LOVE the yellow shot with you in it - can I print it out and hang it on the wall in my room?
Brett,
Man oh man, thank you for that info! As much as I'd like to overload my arteries something tells me that I shouldn't. Hmmm.
Now that I know this I'm definitely going ot eat two. Perhaps three.
But one stick of butter??? man oh man.
And Keiko, of course!!!!! :)
Wow! A sandwich fit for a king, and truly high cuisine.
I have to try this sandwich now.
I.
Have.
To.
Nothing else will satisfy me until I try this delightful culinary masterpiece.
Preferably in the company of friends.
PS. My arteries will hate you, I'm sure, but I thank you profusely.
(mmm.... bacon...)
;)