Not Your Mother’s Stuffed Peppers

On Mother’s Day when I told our family friend and dinner guest, Joey, that I had made stuffed peppers for dinner, he immediately smiled and said “I haven’t had those in years, my mom used to make the best ones with filled with hamburger and red sauce!”

While I love a good food memory, I had to break it to him that these were not going to be  his mother’s stuffed pepper. In fact these would be totally vegetarian as I was cooking for my mom! He was a good sport and said he was sure he would like them. As I nervously brought them to the table, with a side of homemade simple tomato and basil sauce- I saw the glimmer of hope when he saw the melted cheese on top. Cheese makes everything better! (The crusty rolls helped too.)

At first he politely had a small spoonful of red sauce with his stuffed pepper. He is Italian so the sauce had to pass the test. When he asked for more sauce and cleaned his plate – I knew I had won him over!! He even said yes to letting me send leftovers home with him!

Orzo & veggie stuffed sweet, yellow bell peppers with simple tomato-basil sauce and crusty rolls. Serve outside on a beautiful screen porch whenever possible.

The Recipe

6 huge peppers, topped and hollowed out

4-5 sun-dried tomatoes: reconstituted in hot water for 10 mins. drained and diced small. Save the liquid.

1 cup shredded carrots

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup orzo pasta (measure uncooked)

2 garlic cloves, mashed

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped small

2-3 springs fresh herbs – I used golden oregano and sage.

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: shredded cheese for topping peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the peppers upright in a baking dish with high sides. Cook orzo in the veggie broth for two mins less than the package says. Drain but reserve cooking liquid. To the cooked orzo add the tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, spinach, garlic, fresh herbs and S/P. Stuff this mixture into each of the peppers. Drizzle the leftover orzo cooking liquid on top of each pepper. It is okay if it spills over,under and around peppers. Pour the reserved tomato water from reconstituting the dried tomatoes into the baking dish around the peppers. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 mins. Peppers should be just fork tender, not falling apart. Uncover the dish and top peppers with cheese if using and bake another 15 mins until melted and bubbly.

Serve split open with a simple tomato sauce and crusty rolls.

365 days…..

6,259 “hits” and 412 comments later, I have reached my two-year anniversary of blogging!

Thanks to WordPress and their endlessly interesting statistics page, I can tell you all that April 8, 2012 was my most viewed day! (68!!!!)  Thank you Holly!

I can also tell you that November 26, 2011 had the most comments – and I am proud to say that only one of them was related to me!

I am sure my mom found it very interesting that searches for “beef” versus “vegetarian” were only slightly ahead. (4 to be exact)

Beans. Who knew that beans would be the most “searched” term EVER? 231 times so far that folks searched for “beans” on the internet and choose me! That 2010 post just never gets old!

Followed up by 129 searches for “American Chop Suey” – probably because no one has any idea why it has that name!

But the real surprise comes in third place by the name of Josiah Mcelheny – I know I love his work and especially “Endlessly Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism” but apparently so do 78 other folks.

Well that is enough statistics for the year but… since I did only get 4 hits on last year’s 1st year anniversary post…here is a recap!

How it all began
2008 was a very good year for me and tomatoes. My back yard pots were producing like crazy even in the waning days of summer.  So I was innocently searching the internet for a recipe to somehow preserve them through the winter when I came upon the most gorgeous picture of oven roasted tomatoes ever. It was love at first sight.
But it was more than a photo. There wasn’t a just recipe; there was commentary and comments from others, with entries dating all the way back to June 14, 2006! ! OH NO! I was late to the party!
My small, little kitchen world had just been blown open by the discovery of this blog phenomenon. There were actually others out there like me, cooking, eating and writing about it! Soon I had subscribed to that blog by email and was devouring each posting as soon as it came out. Not long after that I was bold enough to actually leave a comment. Before you know it I was submitting photos for a weekly segment featuring reader’s pantries. I even won a give-away prize! And one day when I clicked on a person’s comment link out of curiosity I discovered the real power of the blogosphere. My future favorite design blog had submitted her pantry for the weekly segment. What a discovery. I spent two days catching up on all her prior postings. I have a new friend to add this year… my favorite lifestyle blog!
However, like all good things, after a while it wasn’t enough. I wanted to be part of this movement. Part of this grass-roots community of like-minded folks who I talked about in first person as if they lived next door. (Doesn’t everybody do that?)
I can blog too.
I set about researching the process. It didn’t seem that hard. I wouldn’t even have to learn HTML. I didn’t tell anyone at first. I spent many afternoons “supposedly working” but really I was busy securing my own domain. (THE NAME  WASN’T TAKEN YET – a sure sign that it was meant to be!)  Who would host my blog? I decided to go with WordPress because they got great reviews and seemed the most user-friendly. The day I came home and announced that Cabinet Stew was “live and on the internet” my husband ran around the house yelling that his wife would soon be famous. Slow-down big fella… this is just a fun way of recording my cooking adventures.
These days, as my husband can attest, life with a food blogger can be a challenge. (yes, I call myself that, even if I have less than now it’s more than a dozen daily hits.)  For instance now he has to wait for his dinner while the “beauty shot” is taken. But I love being part of it all. I finally feel like one of the cool kids.
ps if you are still reading this …you might be interested to know that my “2011 year in review video” (That’s right I made a movie!) only got 12 hits – maybe you should check it out…here! It’s only 3 mins

Berry Coconut Coffee Cake

Like many savory cooks – I am not a baker. So what was I doing baking recently on yet another rainy day?

Well I had a sweet tooth and I am fairly lazy – so going to the store was out of the question. (Did I mention I live in a large, urban area with a giant name-brand grocery store a few blocks away from my house?) I like to think I was doing my part to keep the carbon foot-print down. Or maybe I was just challenging myself with the ingredients I had on hand.

Or maybe I was just trying to clean out the freezer.

Last summer when local raspberries and blackberries were on sale and abundant I cooked down a bunch, added a little cornstarch and froze for another day. I originally had visions of some kind of fruit tart/turnover but really any baked good would do.

So with a little help from Betty I whipped up a coffee cake recipe. Instead of the usual cinnamon streusel topping -I decided to improvise.

After about 20 mins in the oven – I took it out and spread the thickened berry syrup on top. Than just to “gild the lily” I sprinkled on some sweetened coconut flakes I had lurking in my fridge. (I am sorry the day I discovered these little gems at the store – yum!!) I could have swirled it into the batter from the beginning but I was afraid to swirl. Being an inexperienced baker, I wasn’t sure if this would be a success, so I decided not to risk it.

Back into the oven for 10-15 mins,  time to cool a bit and my sweet tooth was satisfied!

Author’s Bragging Rights!

Those white Lilacs in the vase are from my yard!

El Día de la Batalla de Puebla

… “The Day of the Battle of Puebla” … Also Known As …. “Cinco De Mayo”

Not unlike our Evacuation Day here in Boston, Cinco De Mayo celebrates the defeat of a well-equipped, large French army by a small, tired Mexican army. They effectively kicked the French out – just as we kicked the British out!

And how fitting that yesterday a Mexican jockey road to victory on “I’ll Have another!” at The Kentucky Derby.

There was some heavy decision-making in terms of food choice in our house yesterday… go Mexican or go Kentucky Derb-ian? Go all chilli pepper or go all bourbon-pecans?

In the end it was Lydia’s recipe that made the decision easy. Her recipe for slow-cooked beef and green chili stew just immediately spoke to me!

So with a few adaptations, because I have trouble following directions, we were off and running to a day of Mexican victories!

My adapted recipe

- I omitted some things from the original. I substituted and I increased amounts on others.

3 lbs +/- stew beef – I used a pot roast & cut it up and trimmed it myself
3 Tbsp margarine
1 medium onion, diced
2 4-oz cans green chiles, mild “diced”
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped. WOO HOO it was still too hot for us – use your own judgement here!
1/4 cup barbecue sauce, homemade or store-bought – Emeril’s original rocks!
2 cups homemade or canned low-sodium beef broth
2 tsp cumin
1 14 oz can of black beans drained (low sodium) optional
1/4 cup Masa dissolved into 1/2 cup of warm water – a “slurry”

Brown the beef in batches in the melted margarine. Set beef aside, turn heat down and add onions, brown for a few mins. Add cumin and chipotle chili to kinda “toast” for a minute. Add both cans of diced green chili – pan will start to de-glaze. Add the diced tomatoes and finish de-glazing the pan. Add back in the beef and any juices. Add the BBQ sauce and broth – liquid shouldn’t quite cover meat. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for two hours. I cooked mine in a heavy enameled cast iron pot – you know the one with the fancy French name – you could use any heavy bottom pot with a lid or your slow-cooker but double the time if you use a slow-cooker. Check the meat – if it is falling apart tender, then add the Masa slurry, stir and cook another hour on a slightly lower setting. If after two hours the meat is not meltingly tender cook another hour before adding the Masa slurry.  Check for seasoning level, add salt and pepper to taste.  Hot sauce too if you don’t have “baby mouths” like us! Add the drained can of black beans about a 1/2 hour before serving.

Makes a ridiculously large amount. Serve over rice with warm corn tortillas and cold sour cream – or better yet Mexican Crema!

Stuffed – Three Ways!

Inspiration comes in many forms. But for me it is usually roaming the aisles of the grocery store with no plan in mind.

That is when I saw the 40 oz (yup 2 1/2 lbs!) of giant stuffing size mushrooms on sale. I just knew immediately that I wanted to stuff them and not just one way. So I started gathering all the ingredients for stuffing these mushrooms in three different ways.

From left to right:

Ham & Swiss, Creamed Spinach, Italian Sausage & Peppers

Word to the wise… invite some friends over for a party because the 40 oz package was about 32 mushrooms. 32 HUGE mushrooms. You could probably freeze the stuffed, cooked mushrooms but we will just eat them over the next few days instead. Breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Production notes

No real recipe was used. I simply cleaned and de-stemmed the mushrooms, chopping the stems and using them in the stuffing for the sausage and the ham/swiss versions. I oiled them really well (use your favorite oil) and the pan they were baked on. I did whiz up a sleeve of Ritz crackers and that was split between the three mixtures before stuffing. I did freeze the extra stuffing.

Ham & Swiss: I sautéed (almost caramelized) a small amount of diced white onion in butter, added diced stems and ham, sautéed a bit more.  Let it cool, off the heat for a few and stirred in finely shredded swiss cheese. Mix in the Ritz cracker crumb. Salt and pepper to taste and you are ready to stuff.

Sweet Sausage and Pepper: I took some sausage out of its casing, crumbled it and lightly browned it with some diced red, green & yellow sweet peppers , the diced mushroom stems and diced white onions. Turn off the heat and mix in a palm full of finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Mix in the Ritz cracker crumb. Salt and pepper to taste and you are ready to stuff.

Creamed Spinach: Use your favorite recipe – maybe cut it in half if you are not doing so many mushrooms. But mine was basically sautéed onion in butter, add a pinch of nutmeg  and a bigger pinch of granulated garlic. Add some heavy cream and let simmer to reduce and thicken, add lots of finely grated Pecorino Romano and maybe a little of that swiss cheese. Add the fresh, washed, dried and torn up spinach. Cook awhile longer. Turn off the heat and while piping hot,  mix in the Ritz cracker crumb. Salt and pepper to taste. Let cool a bit and you are ready to stuff.

I baked all of them at the same time on a couple of sheet pans in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15-20 mins. I personally think they could have gone a tiny bit longer since these were huge mushrooms. Or maybe even pre-roasting them for a few minutes before stuffing could be an option. A drizzle of oil across the top of the stuffed mushrooms before putting them into bake will also keep things moist.

Do you think this is lucky? Like getting a double yolk egg?

Healthy Inspirations

Back during the March heat-wave, it seemed everywhere I looked, folks were making chili. Turkey chili to be exact. I saw it here, here and here.

So I was craving chili and when the temperatures cooled back off to more seasonal, cool, spring weather, I decided it was now or never!

And I consider it a personal victory when I can sneak some turkey past my red-meat loving husband! (Oops, I forgot to tell you honey, it was ground turkey not beef.)

The Recipe

4-10 slices of low sodium bacon slices, diced really small

2lbs lean ground turkey (we like our chili really meaty)

1 med onion diced small

2-3 fresh large garlic cloves, minced or crushed

1 tb ground cumin powder – you could use 1/2 tb if you are not as big a fan as I am.

3 tb of your favorite smoky grill seasoning – spicy or not.

1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes

1 (10oz) can of green chilies/tomato blend (like Ro*Tel©)

1 cup water or stock

1/4 cup ketchup

1 (15.5oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

16 oz +/- frozen corn, spread on a sheet pan, roasted at 375 degrees until thawed, dryer and a bit toasty. Toss in olive oil and roast for another 10-15 mins till corn is fairly toasted. (but you could just add the frozen corn straight to the chili too!)

The Secret Thickener

Whisk together, 1 cup room temperature water with 1/2 cup of “Masa” (fine ground corn flour)

How I made it

Saute the bacon until cooked.(Fat rendered but not too crispy.) Add dried spices and “toast” for a minute. Add onion and garlic and saute a few minutes more. Add turkey and cook until browned. (Use a higher heat for “caramelization” on the meat) De-glaze the pan with the can of tomatoes and can of green chili mix. Add the water and ketchup and let simmer for an hour. Add the beans, corn and the Masa mixture, stir and let simmer, mostly covered, for another hour. Mixture should be rich and thick – if too thick add more water. If not thick enough – leave uncovered on low heat and let liquid reduce.

How I served it

On a baked potato with shredded cheddar, Mexican Crema (like sour cream) and some chopped scallions. A squirt of fresh lime will really brighten things up.

All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet

That is what I served up for a light, healthy Easter lunch this year! I know it doesn’t sound possible that “light” & “healthy” could be part of an “all-you-can-eat-buffet” but it was…

I gave everybody a plate of clean, dry, organic spinach and then they could top it with some or all of their favorites:

Shredded carrot, sliced beets, toasted garbanzo beans, roasted asparagus with lemon & butter, crumbled blue cheese, diced red pepper, baby peas, hard-cooked eggs, sautéed mushrooms & onions, crispy bacon (who can resist?), Dijon vinaigrette dressing.

And some sweet potato biscuits just to add a little home-baked goodness!

But of course no Easter would be complete without one of these…

or these…

Holly’s Frittata

Recently I just found out a friend of mine was a vegetarian and when she checked out my blog, she said I should post more vegetarian recipes. I think she is right and I KNOW my mom would agree!

So she inspired this recipe. (Well, admittedly I was planning on making a frittata but without her inspiration it would have contained bacon! YUM. I won’t tell if you add it in!)

AND it seems that she likes a simple recipe that only uses about 5 ingredients. Any more than that and I sensed a little anxiety!

I took lots of step by step pictures on this one…

Here are the 5 ingredients

8 eggs (1 is missing from the pic)

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

about 3/4 of a cup of chopped green onions – reserve some for garnish

4 ozs feta cheese cubed/crumbled

3 small leftover baked potatoes – I always bake extra when I bake.

“free” pantry ingredients:

salt and pepper to taste, cooking spray and 2 oz of butter or margarine for the pan. ( I suppose you could just use cooking spray to keep this lighter…but why?)

Here is how you make it

Spray a 10″ oven-proof skillet and melt the butter or margarine in the bottom. Turn off the heat.

Slice the potatoes thickly and layer on the bottom in the melted butter/margarine. Next add the green onions and cubed feta.

Whisk the eggs and milk together and pour over the layers in the pan. Add some fresh cracked black pepper on top.

A little sea salt too, if you like.

Put into a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 mins until the egg is firm and fluffy through the middle. You can peek gently with a knife. The edges will have pulled away from the pan sides and it should look like this…

Cool for 15-20 mins before slicing. Garnish with the reserved green onions and serve with favorite beverage. (Maybe mimosa’s?) You should get about 8 reasonable slices. Made in a square pan and sliced into squares – it could be used as brunch item with some other things, like bagels and fruit salad? Or bacon.

Meatloaf #94

I have said it before and I will say it again… I love lamb.

American lamb. Not that “gamey” stuff from New Zealand. Sorry Kiwis!

And around these big-city-Boston-neck-of-the-woods-parts, lamb in many forms is readily available and quite economical. In fact I sometimes find ground lamb cheaper per pound than ground chuck!

So that, plus the fact that I was dying to use my Penzeys Lamb Seasoning caused me to make a lamb meatloaf!

Of course I had also been inspired by some crumbled blue cheese I had just purchased and I needed something for that to go on. So what better than butter-sauteed mushrooms, onions and Brussels sprouts I ask?

As for the polenta…well I am still perfecting my methods, but it came out pretty good. I kept it plain since everything else was already so flavorful.

The Meatloaf Recipe

1.5lbs +/- ground lamb

2 small eggs or 1 jumbo, lightly whisked

1 cup +/- fresh ground breadcrumbs (you could use dried- I just happened to be out and ground up some bread)

1 can of Campbell’s Soup -Healthy Request® Cream of Mushroom soup – pantry-cleaning out mood, what can I say!

1 Tablespoon Penzeys Lamb Seasoning

1 Teaspoon granulated garlic powder – of course you can use fresh minced, I was just lazy.

mix all, gently, with your hands. If it seems too dry add a tiny bit of milk. If it seems too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs.

Form a loaf and place on a sprayed sheet pan or use a meatloaf pan and bake 1 hour in a preheated 375 degree oven. Use a thermometer, 160 F.

It Only Takes A Little…

…steak to make a satisfying sandwich. A little inspiration from your own crisper drawer. And the best of all, a little early season oregano surprising you in the herb pot in the backyard!

Really, it all started with the tomato, green bell-pepper and some little cukes in the crisper drawer that were leftover from last week’s lunch fixings. All that just instantly screamed Greek salad at me. Which of course started a craving for feta cheese. (When don’t I crave any kind of cheese!) So the other night, I  strolled the meat department looking for the perfect sandwich meat and came upon a tiny (.68lbs) sirloin steak. For just a few bucks (3 to be exact) I could have a nice hearty Greek salad with steak on a sandwich. Now if only I had remembered to buy a red onion while I was at the store….

The Technique

I cut the little steak into small cubes (1/2″ or so) and marinated them in a little olive oil, red wine vinegar and plenty of oregano for a few hours. I got the fancy v-slicer out and sliced all the veggies really thin, except the tomato. I cubed the feta. I sprinkled long rolls with olive oil, broiled them until hot and then rubbed them liberally with a cut garlic clove while they were piping hot. After carefully drying the marinated cubes and discarding the marinade, I pan sautéed the steak cubes over a med-high heat to sear them. (They cooked in like 3 mins.) I piled all the items on the rolls and drizzled a freshly made mixture of the same olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh chopped oregano and some salt/pepper over the top.

If I may say so myself, these were damn good sandwiches. Hearty, fresh and honestly I could have portioned out 3 servings. So it just proves that you don’t have to have a ton of expensive, diet-busting steak on your plate to feel satisfied.

Special thanks to the hubby for stopping off on the way home for that red onion.