Stuffed Peppers and Eggs

Some of my favorite go-to meals during the week, especially on the days when there’s not a lot of time to prepare a big meal, are the old-fashion standards. Potatoes and eggs, pasta and beans, a quick soup, and my personal favorite, a nice peppers and eggs sandwich. For this post, we’re going to get a little creative with the peppers and eggs. This recipe will save you prep time, as the peppers and eggs bake in the oven instead of on the stovetop. It also makes for a nice looking presentation if you’re serving it as a meal any time of the day for family and friends.

Bell peppers (green or red) work best for this. Instead of dicing your bell peppers, you are simply going to cut the pepper in half length-wise, from the top of the stem to the bottom of the pepper. No need to remove the stem, it helps with the presentation. Gut out all of the seeds, but be sure not to puncture the pepper. You don’t want any holes in the pepper (I’ll explain why in just a bit). Lightly wipe down the peppers, both inside and out, with a little olive oil. Place the peppers cut side up on a lightly greased baking dish.

Next, you’ll want to mix up your eggs. You’ll need two eggs per pepper. I use a basic mixture of egg, salt, pepper and some parmesan or feta for taste and texture, topped with a little bruschetta. You can add whatever ingredients you normally like to add to your eggs. Chopped mushrooms, bacon bits, ham, onion….go wild!

Carefully pour the egg mixture into the pepper halves, almost to the top of the pepper. This is why it is important that you do not puncture the peppers…you don’t want your batter to run out all over the baking dish. You can then top the peppers with shredded cheese, breadcrumbs, sliced tomatoes, salsa…again, whatever you prefer with your eggs.  Place the tray into a 350º pre-heated oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the egg batter has set firmly in the peppers. Serve immediately.

*Note – if you add liquid to your egg mixture, say milk or water, or a liquify salsa mixture, you will need to add additional baking time for the egg batter to settle. Keep checking on the peppers and eggs, just to make sure that they don’t burn.

Lemon Mint Risotto with Zucchini

Now’s the time to put that fresh harvest of vegetables and herbs to good use! One of the new herbs that I planted this year was mint. If I had known how abundant this herb was, I would have started planning recipes to use it with months ago! After putting together multiple batches of mint pesto, mint iced tea, and mint seasoned chicken to name just a few, I searched out  a delicious combination that would put not only my mint to use, but fresh zucchini and lemon as well. This dish adds lemon zing, mint accent and fresh zucchini to classic risotto. What I found most interesting about this dish was how the zucchini was sliced and added. By simply using a vegetable peeler to make long, thin slices, the zucchini takes on a beautiful ribbon shape and texture that holds up well in the warm risotto. The ribbons gently wrap around the creamy rice, yet melts in your mouth with every bite. The mint gives the perfect refreshing accent without overpowering. If you are a fan of risotto, I suggest you give this recipe a try.

LEMON MINT RISOTTO WITH ZUCCHINI

6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for garnish
1/2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, plus extra for garnish

Bring stock to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting and keep warm.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine. Cook, stirring, until the wine evaporates. Add stock 1 cup at a time, stirring until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup. Continue until the rice is tender but not mushy. When almost finished, stir in the zucchini, adding stock as needed and stirring continuously.Remove pan from the heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add mint leaves and serve immediately in bowls garnished with extra cheese, extra lemon zest and mint.

Burger-grilling Fun!

When it comes to grilling hamburgers, I’ve become a bit of a purist. An 80/20 mix of ground chuck (80% lean for more flavor), some salt and pepper, well-oiled grill grates, flipped once, cooked to medium. If I’m making turkey burgers, I’ll use a 90/10 mix and may add a packet of onion soup mix for a little more flavor. I used to add all kinds of spices and seasonings (Italian salad dressing was the go-to for me), but as I developed more of an interest in grilling, I have learned that less can be more. Let the burger speak for itself.

Of course, I also like to experiment when I get the chance. This past weekend, when we were having a family grill-out, an interesting idea came to mind. Now if you have kids, you know that a staple at all grill-outs and picnics are cheese curls. If there is anything less than a half of a bowl on the table, there is a crisis brewing. Since we had the oversized tub of cheese curls on hand, I started to think what would happen if I added ground cheese curls to the burger mixture? Adding cheese to a burger is a given. You can also add breadcrumbs for texture. Why not combine the two?

I crushed up about a half cup of cheese curls in the food processor to get a breadcrumb-like consistency, and folded it into the mix with the salt and pepper. The verdict…thumbs up! A half cup of the crumbs for a pound of meat offered just enough of a zing without overpowering the burger itself. If you are trying to kick up the zing even more, maybe try using nacho chips instead. Sure, I wouldn’t make this part of my regular burger routine, but for a fun get together, and to have something to talk about over a beer or two while standing around the grill, I say go for it! Just remember….only flip the burgers once.

Mamma’s Peperonata

A few months back, Una Mamma Italiana and I shared with you another of our fun and creative food battles, going head-to-head with a vegetable dish. Her zucchini fritters came out on top, but apparently my peperonata dish was still strong enough to coax Una Mamma into trying it! This past week, Una Mamma put together her own version of peperonata, and what a great job she did with it. Nice job, Una Mamma! Now when’s the next challenge?

FROM THE MAMMA…

If you are an avid “Mamma Meets The Cucina” fan, then you might recall when my foodie friend and blogging nemesis…(jk) Dominic Condo…. made Peperonata for our Veggie Challenge.  It was pretty awesome, I must admit.  But I had to do what I always do andtry to show him up!

Peperonata is one of those dishes that is very hearty and can be a side dish or a meal in and of itself.  The way I make MY twist on Peperonata, is a bit spicier and, actually quite different all around.  It lacks the onions seen in Cucina Domenico’s recipe, and it uses whole baby peppers instead of sliced bell peppers. Throw in a couple Jalepenos for some kick and you’ve got a trendy twist on an Italian classic!!

The instructions for my recipe are minimal – you wash and pan sear your peppers in a bit of e.v.o.o. and pancetta.  The flavor from the rendered panceta is the secret in this dish.  Then you finish them off in the oven, roasting at around 400 degrees, turning occasionally.  Serve alongside crispy Italian bread or with chunks fo fresh Parmiggiano!  Buon Appetito!

Mamma’s Peperonata!