Spanish Lentils with Greek Sausage & Sweet Peppers
Slow-simmered with garlic, onion and a hint of paprika, these rich beans pair beautifully with sausage and peppers.
Ingredients:
1½ cups lentil beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon each fresh chopped parsley and savory
½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
2 cups waters or chicken broth
3-4 links Greek sausage
1 pound small sweet peppers, halved, seeded and cut lengthwise
1-2 spring onions, thinkly sliced (if desired)
Method:
1. Soak lentils in a pot of cold water for an hour prior to cooking. Drain and rinse.
2. Heat olive oil in large stock pot on low heat, add onion, paprika and garlic. Sauté until onion begins to look translucent and garlic browns a little. Add water or chicken broth and lentils, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until lentils are just cooked, not mushy, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from heat and add in fresh herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausages in a half inch of water until done and
remove. Discard cooking water. In the same skillet, add peppers and onions along with a drizzle of olive oil and turn heat up to high. Sauté peppers and onions, until peppers and onions just begin to blister and char. Add sausage, turning down heat, and continue cooking until the sausages are browned. Slice sausages diagonally in large slices to serve.
4. To serve, ladle helpings of lentils into bowls and top with sausage and pepper mixture, garnishing with additional parsley if desired.
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Polenta with Chicken Italian Sausage & Sautéed Summer Vegetables
This creamy dish is bright with Italian flavors, courtesy of pungent mixed peppers and summer squash.
Ingredients:
Polenta
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup water
4 links chicken Italian sausage
2 red Bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1-2 Piment d’Espellete peppers, seeded and thinly sliced*
2 mixed summer squash, washed and thinly sliced
1 Walla Walla sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Grated Grana-style cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
*Depending on your heat preference, feel free to tweak the quantity of these smoky, slightly-spicy peppers to your liking.
Method:
1. Bring chicken stock and ¼ cup water to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan. Add polenta mix in a slow stream, whisking until incorporated. Simmer, stirring frequently with a long-handled whisk or wooden spoon, until liquid is absorbed and polenta is thick and soft, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausages in a half inch of water until done and remove to a plate and keep warm. Discard cooking water. In the same skillet, add both varieties of peppers, summer squash, garlic and onions along with a drizzle of olive oil and turn heat up to high. Sauté vegetables, turning just occasionally until all just begin to blister and char. Add sausage, turning down heat, and continue cooking until the sausages are browned. Slice sausages diagonally in large slices to serve.
3. Remove polenta from heat and stir in Grana cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with sausage and pepper mixture. Serve immediately.
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Sweet & Spicy Pepper Relish
This amazing topping brings the sweet heat and is delicious spooned over scrambled duck eggs!
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped chile peppers, such as a combination of this week’s Anaheim, Jimmy Nardello and French sweet peppers
¾ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ small onion chopped
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Add all ingredients to a large pan and heat to medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a light boil.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until liquid is reduced and absorbed into the mixture.
3. Add to a jar and allow to cool before serving; it also keeps well in the fridge for about a month!
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Fried Jimmy Nardello Peppers with Halloumi Cheese
Golden, gooey cheese nuggets are tossed with peppers and lemon for this flavorful starter.
Ingredients:
8 ounces halloumi cheese
2-3 Jimmy Nardello peppers
Juice from half of a lemon
2-4 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Pinch red pepper flakes
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Drain the halloumi and cut it into cubes, then pat cubes very dry with paper towels. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the stem and any seeds. If there are any large, thick ribs, remove them as well, then slice the peppers in half inch slices.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, adding more as needed to evenly coat the bottom of the skillet. When hot, add the cubes of halloumi and peppers and cook for a few minutes without stirring, until the bottoms of cheese are well-browned, and peppers begin to char.
3. Flip the halloumi and peppers with a pairs of tongs. Once cheese is browned on both sides, remove to a paper-towel lined plate; continue to cook and toss the peppers until they are as soft and blackened as you’d like, about 5 minutes more.
4. Transfer the fried cheese and peppers to a bowl along with any oil in the pan. Grind black pepper over the cheese, add the red pepper flakes and the lemon juice. Stir well, and serve warm or at room temperature.
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Rigatoni with Chicken Italian Sausage, Swiss Chard & Peppers
Everyone will be asking for seconds of this colorful and extremely satisfying dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1-2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 Walla Walla sweet onion
1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, removed from tough rib ends and then roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional tablespoon for finishing
Grana-style cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cook rigatoni for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the chicken Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking the sausage apart with a wooden spoon or spatula. Remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.
3. Wipe any excess grease from the skillet with a paper towel, then drizzle in 2
tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in garlic, peppers and onions and sauté until all the veggies are tender and begin to brown in spots, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the chopped chard and wine and continue to sauté, stirring until chard is just wilted.
4. Add the pasta and chicken sausage to the skillet and toss to combine with the veggies; season with salt and pepper as necessary. Add chicken stock and simmer for two minutes or until slightly reduced. Finish by sprinkling each serving with grated Grana-style cheese and an additional swirl of olive oil.
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Grilled Corn Salad with Sweet Peppers
This warm salad is crisp and crunchy, boasting a wonderful smoky flavor from the perfectly-charred corn and peppers.
Ingredients:
4 ears sweet corn, shucked
2 sweet peppers, halved and seeded
2 ½-inch-thick onion slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1 tablespoon finely-chopped chives
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Place corn on the grill rack; grill 20 minutes or until charred here-and-there, turning occasionally. Place in a large bowl; cover with foil. Leave in a warm location 10 minutes, then cut corn kernels off cobs, encouraging clusters to stay intact, if possible.
2. Meanwhile, place the peppers and onions on grill rack, and grill 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop both the peppers and onions.
3. Combine the chives, cream, oregano, vinegar and garlic with a healthy pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add peppers, onions and corn; toss gently to coat. Serve warm.
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How-To: Dry Chili Peppers
Two simple ways to preserve these spicy peppers to use in recipes all winter long!
Ingredients:
Basque or any other thin-skinned chili peppers
Method:
Air-dry method: Wash your chili peppers thoroughly after picking to remove any dirt, then dry. Place on a plate or a wire rack in a dry, well ventilated room. You can also string the chilies up on string or thread and hang to dry. Within several weeks, you will have dried chili peppers and you can grind them up or use them as ornaments as desired.
Oven-dry method: Wash your chili peppers thoroughly after picking to remove any dirt. Cut them in half, lengthwise to expose the pepper innards. Arrange the chili peppers over a baking sheet. Bake at low heat, about 100°-135°. There is no set time to bake the chili peppers for drying. Keep an eye on them, turning every few minutes or so. You can leave the oven door cracked for some air flow. It will take several hours with this method. Keep in the oven until the moisture has been baked out of them. Use as desired!
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Italian Sausage-Lentil Soup with Leeks
This longtime family recipe is a winning New Year’s dish. Fun fact: Lentils are believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the new year because they resemble coins!
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned with white and light green parts chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cans (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for topping
Method:
- In a large pot, brown the sausage until it is no longer pink. Remove from the pan, drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the olive oil and then sauté onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until tender. Add stock, lentils, tomatoes, sausage, wine, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 and ½ hours. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.
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Pan-Fried Peppers with Lemon & Garlic
Seasoned with slivered garlic, this Bon Appetit recipe is a favorite for enjoying fresh peppers.
Ingredients:
½ pound Jimmy Nardello peppers, or any combination of late summer peppers, left whole
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more for serving
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Method:
1. Heat heavy large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil and swirl skillet to coat. Heat until oil is very hot and begins to shimmer, about 1 minute.
2. Add whole peppers and ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt; stir constantly until peppers are blistered over half their surface, occasionally shaking skillet, about 2 minutes. Add thinly sliced garlic and continue to stir constantly until the peppers are blistered all over, about 2 minutes longer (some will be soft and some will be slightly firm, depending on size).
3. Transfer peppers to paper towels to drain briefly, then place in a medium serving bowl. Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice; sprinkle generously with additional coarse sea salt and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
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How-To: Gatherer’s Gold Peppers
These sweet peppers are incredibly versatile, wonderful stuffed, incorporated into pasta sauces or served charred over breakfast potatoes as part of a hash. Here, we outline the traditional Italian method: fried in olive oil and topped with Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
4 Gatherer’s Gold peppers
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
1. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the stem and any seeds. If there are any large, thick ribs, remove them as well. Heat a large, seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until searingly hot. Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
2. Add the peppers cut side down in a single layer. Cook without stirring or moving the peppers for 5 minutes, letting the steam build up under the peppers to soften. Flip the peppers with tongs and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes more, letting the skin of the peppers blister and char in the oil.
3. Continue to cook and flip until the peppers are as soft and blackened as you’d like, anywhere from 5-10 minutes more. Transfer the charred peppers to a plate and blanket generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
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