Tag Archives: red peppers

Haddock with a Tomato-Red Pepper Sauce and Parslied Potatoes (4)

Posted in Dressings/Sauces, Entrees, Side dishes by

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White fish needs a sauce otherwise it can be very bland. The tomato-red pepper sauce is easy to make and cooks in just about the same time as the fish as do the potatoes so all is on the table in about half an hour. The haddock is poached with lemon juice and olive oil. The recipe for the sauce is a good one to keep on hand as it goes well with pasta  and, if diluted with some broth, makes a nice soup. New potatoes cooked in their skins are then squashed with a potato masher before being sprinkled with parsley and lightly sauteed in oil.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

4 pieces of haddock (about 5 oz. per person)

Juice of 1 lemon

3 – 4 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion – roughly diced

2 cloves of garlic – grated

1 can of diced, roasted tomatoes

1 red pepper – diced

10 oz. new potatoes

2 tbsp. parsley – finely chopped

Place the fish on a piece of aluminum foil on a baking tray, pour over the lemon juice and 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook in oven for 25 minutes until cooked through.

Pour 1 tbsp. oil into a frying pan and when sizzling add the onion and let soften and brown slightly. Add the garlic and stir in well. After a couple of minutes pour in the        tomatoes and add the diced pepper. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes. Process mixture in a food processor.

Place potatoes in a pan of boiling water and cook for 20 minutes. Heat 1 -2 tbsp. oil in a frying pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squash the potatoes slightly with a potato masher and when the oil is sizzling add them to the pan and sprinkle the parsley over them. Cook until slightly brown and crisp.

 

 

 

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Thai Beef Curry (4)

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The word curry is used as a blanket term for spicy food when, in reality, there are many differences in ingredients and flavors. Indian curries tend to use blends of dry spices as a basis for their taste, whereas in Thailand a paste is used. There are many other countries that have curried dishes as part of their diet – the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, South Africa to name a few.
Red curry paste, as opposed to green or the harder to find and creamier yellow, is used in this recipe and the finished dish is fairly mild with the coconut milk offsetting some of the heat. This Thai Beef Curry is quickly prepared and there are lots of nice juices to soak up the rice, quinoa, noodles or whatever you wish to serve with it.

8 oz. flat iron steak – thinly sliced
1 shallot – thinly sliced and separated
1 red pepper – thinly sliced
2 large cloves of garlic – grated
4 oz. frozen peas
1 can of lite coconut milk
2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. cilantro – finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Prepare the first 4 ingredients on a chopping board.
In a mixing bowl pour in the coconut milk and whisk it together with the curry paste, peanut butter and fish sauce, then pour into a frying pan and bring to a boil.
When boiling add the steak, shallot, red pepper and garlic to the curry sauce, turn down to a simmer,let ingredients cook for about 7 minutes then add the peas, lime juice and cilantro and cook for a further 3 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
Sprinkle with a little cilantro for garnish and serve.

Red Peppers Stuffed with a Tomato Mixture and Topped with Griddled Halloumi Cheese (4)

Posted in Entrees, Side dishes, Vegetarian by

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Rather a mouthful of a title but an apt description of the recipe. The red peppers are roasted in the oven and during that time the tomato mixture is cooked on the top of the stove in a skillet and the halloumi cheese is prepared, if possible, on a ridged frying pan which gives the cheese a nice striped look. When all three components are ready it is time to assemble the dish. Spoon the tomato sauce into the red pepper half and top with the griddled halloumi cheese (I can tolerate sheep’s halloumi cheese, if you can’t then omit). Can be a side dish or a vegetarian main.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2 red peppers – halved lengthways, de-seeded and de-membraned, brushed inside and out with olive oil and seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound of ripe tomatoes – skinned

1 tbsp. olive oil seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large cloves of garlic – grated

1 tbsp. fresh basil – finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh oregano – finely chopped

4 slices of Halloumi cheese

Place the red peppers in the oven on a baking tray for 3/4 hour until tender .

While peppers are cooking, boil kettle of water and pour over the tomatoes. Leave for a minute and slit skin with a knife (it should curl up and then you know it is ready to peel).

When peeled, dice the tomatoes.

Ten minutes before the peppers are done place seasoned oil in a skillet and when nicely hot add the garlic and cook just until you can smell the garlic.

Add tomatoes and herbs and let simmer until peppers come out of the oven.

At the same time place the slices of halloumi cheese on a hot griddled pan and cook for a short time on each side until you have nice brown griddle marks.

Divide tomato mixture up between the four pepper halves and top with a slice of halloumi.

Serve immediately.

Spinach Roulade with a Tomato, Red Pepper Filling (4)

Posted in Entrees, Vegetarian by

 

IMG_0073A roulade, savory or sweet, always seems impressive – actually it is very easy to make (but don’t tell your guests that!). The secret to the easy rolling of up a roulade is lining the baking tray with parchment paper brushed with oil. The filling is a mixture of  roasted baby tomatoes, red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. As the filling takes more time to prepare, start off making the tomato mixture. This dish is equally good hot or cold.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1 baking tray with edges about 12 inches by 9 inches lined with oiled parchment paper

10 oz. baby spinach – cooked and chopped

4 large eggs – separated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the spinach in a small amount of water, drain, wrap in a clean T-towel and wring till spinach is dry. Then chop finely.

Take the 4 egg yolks, whisk and mix with the spinach in a large bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff then fold into the spinach mixture, taking a large spoonful at a time (there should be enough of the egg whites to make about four spoonfuls).

Spread mixture in a rectangle on the oiled parchment paper. Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes check if roulade is firm to the touch, if not return to the oven but keep a close eye on it.

TOMATO AND RED PEPPER SAUCE

1 tbsp. olive oil, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion – finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic – chopped

1 dry pint baby tomatoes

4 oz. roasted red peppers from a jar – chopped

4 pieces of sun dried tomato

Place oil in an oven-proof dish, add onion, garlic and baby tomatoes. Toss well together. Cook in oven for 45 minutes.

Put tomato mixture, red peppers and sun-dried tomato pieces in a food processor and process until nice and smooth.

Spread mixture on the spinach base taking care not to go too near each end (otherwise sauce will leak out). Roll up carefully and serve immediately.

 

 

Kate’s Chicken and Chorizo Tray Bake (4)

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Inspired by to a visit to my sister-in-law who served me something similar. Chicken and chorizo are good together and everything is cooked in a large metal baking tray. I used a mixture of bone-in chicken and thighs with the skin on (love crispy chicken skin – a naughty treat!). I seared the chicken first in a skillet on both sides and made sure the skin was nice and crisp. All the chopped vegetables were tossed in oil and seasoned in a large mixing bowl to ensure an even coating. Everything was placed in the baking tray – veg. at one side, the chicken and sausage in separate parts of the tray. Cooking took and hour at a high heat between 375 and 400 degrees. Because the chorizo sausage gives out quite a bit of fat I immediately decanted everything to a serving platter with a slotted spoon placing the veg. on the bottom and placed the chicken and sausage on top. Wunderbar!

1medium eggplant – sliced and salted

2 tbsp. olive oil, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 bone-in chicken breasts with skin on

2 chicken thighs with skin on

1 large onion – roughly chopped

2 large cloves of garlic – grated

2 red peppers – de-seeded and sliced

1 dry pint baby tomatoes

1 tbsp. fat reserved from cooking the chicken

8 oz. chorizo sausage – cut into thickish slices

Pre-heat oven to 375-400 degrees.

Let the eggplant stand for 30 minutes, then rinse and cut into smallish chunks

Place 1 tbsp. seasoned olive oil in a skillet and when really hot add the chicken and sear on both sides making sure that the chicken skin is nice and crisp.

Put the other tbsp. of olive oil in a large mixing bowl and add the veg. one at a time mixing well before adding the next veg. Finally add 1 tbsp. of the fat reserved from cooking the chicken.

Place all ingredients in the baking tray making sure the veg., chicken and sausage are slightly separated from each other and cook for an hour, checking every 20 minutes to give veg. a good stir.

Jo’s Thai Beef (4)

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A mild dish inspired by Thai flavors. Because the flank steak is cut into thin strips it doesn’t take long to cook.

1 tbsp. olive oil seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion – chopped

2 large cloves of garlic – grated

1 x 13.66 fl. oz. can of lite coconut milk

2 tbsp. Thai Red Curry Paste

4 tsp. Thai fish sauce

2 tbsp. crunchy peanut butter

1 tsp. Five Spice powder

8 oz. flank steak – cut into thin strips

1 red pepper – diced

4 oz. broccoli florets

1 cup of peas

1 cup of beef broth
Heat seasoned oil in a cast iron casserole dish and when sizzling add the onion and let soften and brown a little bit, then add the garlic.

In a small mixing bowl mix together a little coconut milk, the red curry paste, fish sauce, peanut butter and five spice powder and set aside.

Add the flank steak to the casserole dish and quickly sear.

Toss in the red pepper, broccoli florets and peas.

Add the sauce mixture, rest of the coconut milk and the beef broth.

Stir well, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes depending on size of the flank steak strips

Jo’s Ratatouille (4)

Posted in Side dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian by

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Loads of veg. in this. Not a true ratatouille (to my mind just as good but different). And the addition of potatoes, so a one pot meal. Good for vegetarians and vegans, but also a side dish.

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 a large onion – chopped

2 large garlic cloves – finely chopped (or I grate mine)

1 cup veg. stock/broth

2 zucchini/courgettes – sliced and quartered

1/2 dry pint of cherry tomatoes – halved

4 oz. French green beans – topped and tailed, cut into halves or thirds

8 oz. roasted red peppers – cut into small pieces (bought mine in a jar)

8 oz. baby potatoes – cut into quarters

Heat oil seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper in large skillet/frying pan.

When sizzling add onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened and going brown.,

Add broth/stock, zucchini/courgettes/cherry tomatoes, French beans and red peppers.

Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Cook new potatoes separately in  a pan of boiling water for about 10 minutes.

Add to veggies and serve (fairly good cold too).