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Onions and Peppers

26 Oct

Onions and peppers are two staples in my kitchen… they’re the basis of most dishes I make. They are the basis of sofrito… and I use them in almost anything I make – antipasto, stewed potatoes, stewed chayotes, anything really…

And as strong a foundation they are, they can also shine as a course in and of themselves…

I love to sauté onions and peppers and have them as a cooked side dish for many things. I used to cook them with veal steaks once in my former omnivore life. Now, I love to serve them a top various “viandas” – potatoes, carrots, yautía blanca or lila, malanga, sweet potato, white sweet potato, chayote…

This is sooooo simple… hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONIONS AND PEPPERS

1 medium yellow onion, sliced –but you can use your favorite onion…
½ green bell pepper, sliced
1 clove of garlic, smashed
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Juice of ½ lime or lemon(optional)
  1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, pour a little drizzle of olive oil. Add the onions and pepper strips. Season everything with salt and pepper. Add the smashed garlic clove whole to season the mixture without running the risk of burning the garlic and making the mixture bitter.
  2. Move around every few minutes until onions and peppers are softened a bit, but still with some crunch to them. The tenderness level of the onions and peppers is entirely up to you. I personally don’t like to char them.
  3. If you enjoy a little bit of tang… add a drizzle of lime or lemon juice on top. Remove the garlic clove before serving.

 

 

Serve on top or on the side of mashed potatoes or even green bananas. Do you enjoy it too???

 

Eggless Potato Soufflé

22 Jul

Purists out there will lynch me… I know this is not a traditional egg-based potato soufflé, but it sure rises in the oven just like a soufflé does. I believe it’s the power of mashing and whipping the potatoes by hand that gives them that airy and fluffy consistency. Even though they have lots of cheese, they still feel light and airy.

This is a nice twist to a regular mashed potato dish… hope you enjoy it too.

 

EGGLESS POTATO SOUFFLÉ

3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cubed
¼ onion, grated finely
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup sour cream
4 tbs melted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Olive oil Spray
  1. In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes with water going about ¾ of the way up the potatoes. Do not cover them completely with water, I find they cook faster with less water. Salt the water generously. Boil the potatoes until fork tender.
  2. Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the same hot saucepan and add the grated onion, ricotta, sour cream, butter. Mash until the potatoes and mix-ins are fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes add a little bit of olive oil… but only sometimes if I feel the mixture is too dry.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  4. Take a 9” x 11” glass baking dish and spray with cooking spray. I sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the baking dish and shake it around so the parmesan sticks to the spray in the pan creating a coating. If there is any excess parmesan cheese, add it to the mashed potatoes.
  5. Pour the mashed potatoes onto the baking dish. Smooth out the top and sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes for the cheeses to fully blend and melt into the potatoes. You’ll see how the potatoes will fluff up just like a soufflé does…

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Once Steamed/Once Baked Potato Casserole

13 Jul

Mashed potato is a definite go-to in my recipe repertoire. You’re hungry… potatoes available… make a potato mash. But sometimes you want something more substantial that feels more like a main course, rather than a glorified side dish.

The other day I saw the Idaho potatoes in my sister’s fridge and we were all hungry now… what to do? I wanted to do some twice-baked potatoes, but we just didn’t want to wait to bake and re-bake. So this is a quicker alternative with the same flavor punch of the original.

I do not bake the potatoes first… but I do not boil them either, like for regular mashed potatoes. I steam them. To me is a faster method to cook potatoes and yields the same delicious result.

 

ONCE STEAMED /ONCE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

3 large russet or baking potatoes
1 large onion, diced finely
1 small carrot, grated or chopped finely
2 large garlic clove, minced or grated
2 tbs butter
2 ounces of plain yogurt or sour cream
2 ounces of cream cheese
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbs of Vegan Bac’n – optional
2 generous handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. I steam the potatoes in a medium pot with just a few inches of water. I season the water with salt. And let them steam for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat sauté the onions, garlic and carrot in a little bit of olive oil. Cook them until they’re softened.
  3. When the potatoes are cooked, strain them and add all the fixin’s… the butter, sour cream or yogurt, cream cheese, the cooked onions/carrot mixture, scallions, shredded cheese and veggie bacon if using. Mash it all well until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you feel the mixture needs some moisture.
  4. Take the potato mash and spoon it into individual ramekins. I like to mound the mixture so it looks luscious and abundant. Place what’s left of the shredded cheese on top.
  5. Place in a toaster oven on 450F or broiler for about 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese on top.

 

 

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Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

17 Jun

I love to eat baked potatoes… I remember when we first got a microwave oven, way back when, I was always in charge of making the baked potatoes. Prick them a few times with a fork… bake in the oven… wrap them in foil paper to retain the heat… and eat them just like if you were at a steak house.

That was AGES ago… now, I no longer have a microwave in my kitchen and steakhouses are not part of my restaurant rotation. But I still love to bake potatoes. But they take FOREVER in an oven… even in a toaster oven which is what I usually use if it’s just me and a few others to feed.

My sister gave me an Express Cooker last Xmas as a gift. One of the recipes in the booklet that comes with the Express is how to bake potatoes… and to do it in just 15 minutes. In the regular oven, it usually takes about 1 hour to properly bake a potato. So this is a real time-saver. But the real kicker is what to mix it with… Anybody can bake a potato, but the fixings are what make it special.

LOADED TWICE BAKED POTATOES

1 large baking potato
1 tbs butter
2 tbs sour cream
2 tbs cream cheese
1 large garlic clove, minced or grated
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbs of Vegan Bac’n
2 handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. I baked my potato using the Express… but you can do it in a regular oven or toaster oven. I cut the potato into 2 halves, oiled it with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. And cooked it cut side down for 15 minutes.
  2. When the potato is baked, I allow it to cool off a bit so I can handle it easily. But it needs to still be warm for you to easily be able to remove the flesh of the potato and leave the outer skin with a bit of potato so it has still some structure.
  3. Place the flesh of the potato in a medium sized bowl and mix in your favorite fixin’s… mine has butter, sour cream, cream cheese, garlic, scallions, these new Vegan Bac’ns I found at the health food store the other day and shredded cheddar cheese. I use a bit of cheese inside the mash and leave some for the topping.
  4. Mash all the ingredients together… season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you feel the mixture needs some moisture.
  5. Take the potato mash and spoon it back into the potato shells. I like to mound the mixture so it looks luscious and abundant. Place what’s left of the shredded cheese on top.
  6. Place in a toaster oven on 450F or broiler for about 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese on top.

To me, half a potato is plenty for me as a side dish… and both halves are good as a main course with a salad on the side.

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Garlic Parsley Bread

8 Jun

I loooooove garlic bread… I know it’s not the most intelligent thing to eat when on a date, but I really do not care. I go by Rachael Ray’s philosophy that 2 garlics cancel each other out. Hey… the computer surfer guy who opted not to kiss me because of the garlic mushrooms we BOTH ate, missed out!!

I made this recipe as an easy side to accompany my Spinach Cannelloni for my BIL’s birthday party… it also works extremely well to use up those parsley stems too rough to put inside the cheese filling. It’s all about using everything in the kitchen and minimizing waste… just like in a restaurant.

GARLIC PARSLEY BREAD

1 whole-wheat baguette
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped in large pieces
Stems of fresh Italian parsley… I used the stems left-over from the parsley chopped for the filling in this recipe
2 tbs of softened butter
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste
  1. In a small food processor blend together the garlic cloves and parsley stems until you create a green paste.
  2. In a small bowl, add the green garlic/parsley paste, butter, olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
  4. Cut the baguette into a top and bottom half. Spread the garlic/parsley spread onto both halves. Place them one on top of the other back again and wrap in parchment paper before wrapping in aluminum foil.
  5. Place in a 425F oven… the same one you’re using to bake the cannelloni. Bake and allow the flavors to penetrate the bread for about 20-25 minutes. I usually just place it in the oven with whatever I am making and leave it there until we’re ready to eat.

Slice the bread into 2” slices and serve warm…

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