Stuffed Bell Peppers for Two

So,  you want to impress your date with some quality, home-cooking, but you normally judge a restaurant by the speed of its’ drive-thru? Well, not to worry, this recipe has what it takes to impress everyone, except maybe vegetarians (but more for you all later in the post!) Here’s the dish on this dish:

-  It has ingredients you either already have, or can easily get for not much money.

-  No special culinary skill required.

-  It looks and tastes awesome!

This actually is a derivation from a recipe from another great food blog, Simple Speedy Snacks.  She posted a tasty recipe for stuffed courgettes (zucchini) and I just subbed in the green bell peppers. Had to – the store was totally courgette-less. Oh, yes. For vegetarians, SSS has vegetable-stuffed courgette info on the same post.

My recipe serves two.   Three’s a crowd, remember?

Ingredients:

2 good sized bell peppers. Try to use symmetrical ones with large internal cavities.

8 oz. ground sausage. I used regular pork sausage, but chorizo, beef or lamb would work, too.

4 oz. diced tomatoes. Remeber the can in the back of your pantry? The one you bought for that chili recipe you never made? Yeah, use that one! Just strain it first.

4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese.

That’s it. See?  Easy Peasy!!

Here’s what you do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook your sausage in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Once fully cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl, draining as much excess grease back into the pan as you do this.

Cut the lid off your bell peppers, but don’t throw them away.

Carefully remove the seed pod. Trim the white pulp, too, but please - do not cut a hole in the bell itself. You don’t want anything to leak!

Now the good part – the “fill up.”

Using a large spoon for the sausage and Feta, and a smaller spoon for the diced tomatoes, start layering the cheese, sausage and tomato into the hollowed out bell pepper as follows:

Cheese (2 spoonfulls)

Sausage (2)

Tomatoe (1)

Repeat until the pepper is full. Now matter where you are in the list, make Feta your topmost layer.

Put the stuffed peppers in a casserole dish or pan and recover with the lids you saved. You did save them, didn’t you? If not, that’s okay, but they do help the cooking process.

Add a half cup of water to the casserole dish, then cover with either the appropriate glass lid or aluminum foil. Steam the peppers in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

Uncover, check to make sure there is still a little water left in the dish (add a little bit if needed) then continue steaming, uncovered, for 20 more minutes.

Check the peppers to see if the skin has started to wrinkle. That’s the sign that the pepper is tender enough for dinner!

Plate them up and enjoy dinner! This works awesome with a side of cous cous and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Now as for any leftover cooked sausage or tomato? They make a great filler for an omelet. Top with a little Feta and some chopped spinach. I’m hungry just thinking about it!

Happy eating! And good luck on that date!

 

 

 

Related articles

• Recipe for Roasted Green Bell Pepper and Roasted Tomato Breakfast Casserole with Feta and Oregano (kalynskitchen.com)
• Tuna Stuffed Bell Peppers (thehappiestlife.net)
• Stuffed peppers (recipemenagerie.wordpress.com)
• 38. stuffed bell peppers (nylatindiva.wordpress.com)
• Stuffed Bell Peppers, Cooked Vegan Recipe of The Week. (featheraniweda.wordpress.com)

I haven’t even finished last year’s resolutions,

Image by (Carrie Sloan) via Flickr

so why write new ones?

Well, here’s why -

Most of my activity will center around family and work. And my writing blog, Almost Out of Ink. But a man still has to eat, ergo Exploding Potatoes will not suffer.

Some treats planned for readers this year:

Review the following Hampton Roads, Virginia restaurants: Todd Jurich’s Burger Bar, Leaping Lizard Cafe, Doumar’s Drive-In and Steinhilber’s Restaurant.

Review the Sugar Plum Bakery in Virginia Beach, plus a bread bakery if I can find one that is a one-shop, mom and pop operation.

Tour at least two wineries!

And create , recreate, modify or borrow at least 6 recipes.

As we used to say – I’m hell bent for leather on this – and I have an extra day this year to do it.

Stay tuned.

Stay hungry!

Oh yes, thanks for reading this year. May you have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2012!

DJ Lutz

 

Franco’s Italian – Norfolk, Virginia

Franco's Italian in Norfolk, Virginia

Tucked away in a small shopping center off the corner of Norview Avenue and Military Highway in central Norfolk is a hidden gem called Franco’s Italian. If you live or work in the area, you probably already know about Franco’s. If you don’t, you probably haven’t been there yet.  But you should go. Really.

Franco’s is a small place. There are a fair number of tables and booths, all positioned to make the most of the limited square footage. When it gets crowded, you will have to wind your way around people and chairs to get from the door to your spot. If you are already seated, be prepared to have people brush against you as they pass by. Personally, I am okay with this intimacy given the quality of the food. If you aren’t, well, I told you so. Just pretend you are in New York City.

Back to the food.

I have been to Franco’s for both lunch and dinner, once with a good friend and once with my family. We all agreed, this is a great place to get tasty, made-from-scratch Italian food. I did not get a chance to speak with him, but I think Franco was cooking in the back. The servers were good, not too intrusive, yet helpful when needed. Some people have mentioned they aren’t too friendly, but I have not seen anything of the sort.  In fact, our server last night was great – bringing us warm pizza bread without us having to ask. And you have to ask, since it’s not on the menu. Consider yourself a local now. Ask for the pizza bread.

I had the peppers and sausage grinder for lunch, and the penne with meatballs for dinner (on separate days – the lunch was so filling I doubt I could have made a second trip within hours.)  I’m telling you, nothing beats a homemade meatball, the kind fashioned with veal and pork goodness. These were awesome. Moist, full of flavor, possessing a gentle texture. And fairly big, too. Size matters with meatballs, especially if they are this savory.

My wife had the Eggplant Parmesan, which she was very happy to receive. I had the leftovers today and I can see why she was so happy. The marinara sauce was beautiful; and not too acidic. My daughter, who favors plain noodles, ordered the linguine with oil and garlic sauce. All I can say is she was a very, very happy camper! Portions were more than generous and the bread products were either baked on site (the pizza bread) or baked locally and delivered daily. I took the photo in the morning, just as the bakery dropped off the day’s grinder rolls.

There is one problem with Franco’s Italian and I would be remiss if I did not mention it now. There are so many great sounding items on the menu, you will want to keep going back to try new dishes. I have already decided that on my next visit, dinner will start with mussels in wine sauce, followed by puttanesca over spaghetti.  Puttanesca, for those not familiar, involves anchovies, olives, capers, garlic and marinara sauce.

And people seem to rave about all of the grinders and pizza. Will there ever be enough time to try them all?

I hope so!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Franco’s is located at 6200 North Military Highway in central Norfolk, just down the street from the airport. Look for the Shell gas station on the corner; Franco’s is way in the back. They are closed on Mondays, but open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and through Sunday for Dinner.

(757) 853-0177

$$

Major credit cards and cash accepted.

Beer and wine on premises.

Related articles

• Pasta Puttanesca (mybakersdozen.wordpress.com)
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Bacon Jam – better than…

Bacon is all the rage these days and why not? There isn’t a more versatile pork product, probably. (Stand down, you scrapple lovers. Bacon beats scrapple for versatility, any day of the week!) Anyhow, when my mother in law sent me a recipe for Bacon Jam, I just had to try it out. You should, too – this is the best thing in a Mason jar since moonshine!

Bacon Jam - just after being "canned."

The recipe took a long route to get here, but here’s the provenance:

Nigella Lawson – an internationally known, wonderful chef, had nothing to do with bacon jam, except…

Lorraine Elliott – a great food blogger from Sydney, who uses the the nom de plum “Not Quite Nigella” for her blog – did create the original recipe, which was read by…

Kate Lawson (no relation) – a food writer for the Detroit Free Press – who wrote an article on the wonderment of bacon jam, bringing Lorraine’s recipe to the greater Michigan area, which was read by…

My mother in law – who sent it to me!

Lorraine’s recipe is for a one cup serving. Check it out here if that is all you need. I went big and created the recipe below, which yields 4 half pint jars.

Bacon Jam – hold on to your spoons – here we go:

Ingredients:

3 pounds of smoked bacon, cut into 1-2 inch lengths

2 medium, brown skinned onions, peeled and chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

9 Tablespoons light brown sugar

4 heavy dashes of Red Rooster sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

2 cups of coffee (I used Starbucks Christmas Blend, decaf, but it’s your choice)

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

8 oz Maple syrup

How to make it:

Cook the bacon until almost (but not) crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain the grease.

In some of the bacon drippings, saute the chopped onion for about 5 minutes, until they start to become translucent.

In a large pot (I used a 5 qt stock pot), place the cooked bacon, the sauteed onions, and the remaining ingredients. Stir to mix them up.

Cover the pot and simmer the mixture over medium heat for one hour, stirring occasionally. This should reduce down quite a bit, but not all the way.

When there is just enough liquid left to keep the mix from sticking to the pot and burning, turn off the heat. Carefully – remember, this is hot! – spoon the mix into a blender or food processor.

Give the machine two or three short bursts. You don’t want to grind this stuff up into a paste, but then again, some people do. I’m not one of them.

Ta da! You are done. Transfer to a container suitable for storage in your refrigerator. Don’t worry about how long the bacon jam will keep – it won’t last long.

Try it on hamburgers or steaks just off the grill. Bacon jam is pure awesome-on-a-stick, without needing a stick!

Another option, if you are trying to suck up at work or school, is to “can” the jam, using half pint Mason jars. Just follow the general directions on your pressure cooker. I went for 20 minutes at 15 psi.

I should probably go ahead and measure for curtains in my new VP office…okay, maybe not, but the boss will certainly like the jar of Bacon Jam she received today.  Everyone that eats bacon does. And who doesn’t eat bacon?  (Shhh. I know, some of you don’t. But you get the point!)

Bacon Jam – better than (fill in the blank).

No matter what you put in the blank – Bacon Jam is better!  Except maybe for Chuck Norris. But that is a whole ‘nother story.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Gingerbread Cupcake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Tomorrow is bring a dozen cupcakes to work day so I thought I would bring back a classic recipe from Gourmet magazine (January 1990, as I recall.)

Three hints:

1.  These are very rich. You’ll want to eat them all, but start slowly. One or two will be good per sitting.

2.  I used commercially made crystallized ginger as a garnish. If you have the time, make your own. Here’s AB’s recipe, if you need a good one.

3.  Unlike my usual measure by eye technique, I followed this recipe exactly. I think that is the key to success here. But you do what you want. Your call, amigo!

So here we go. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then…

In a large bowl, mix the following:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2  teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt. It’s what I had)

Now, in another bowl, cream the following with an electric mixer:

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

Then add the following to the butter / sugar mixture:

1/2 cup unsulphered molasses

1 egg

Beat just until mixed. Set aside for a moment.

Heat a half cup of water to boiling. I used a microwave to speed things up.

Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the hot water. Stir until dissolved.

Slowly pour the solution into the molasses mixture. Beat until thoroughly mixed.

Finally, pour the liquid mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Stir with a spoon until smooth.

Okay, now the fun part:

Either spray a muffin pan with a non-stick cooking spray or use cupcake liners. Do one or the other. Trust me on this one.

Spoon the cupcake batter into the liners. Fill half-way. These will rise so don’t worry. And when they are done baking, they should have a flat top, or even slightly indented. No crowns here.

Bake in the 350 degree, preheated oven for 20 minutes. Not 18, not 21. Twenty minutes. Of course, your time may vary (I suppose) if your oven varies from mine. But go with 20 minutes. Then stick a toothpick in one. If it comes out clean, you are done! With this part.

When done, set aside on a cooling rack to…do I really need to say it?

For the frosting:

In another bowl, cream together:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons of butter (salted is fine)

Then add:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix until smooth.

Then add:

zest from one lemon

2 teaspoons of lemon juice OR three drops of pure lemon oil extract. (I used the latter)

Mix it all together, then cool in the refrigerator for about a half hour. This will also force you to give the cupcakes more time to cool. Don’t even think about eating one yet. Okay, go ahead and think about it – but don’t do it!!

Okay, so your frosting has cooled for 30 minutes. Carefully take the cupcakes out of the pan and plate as desired. Spoon some frosting on top, swirl or smooth as desired.

Top each cupcake with one or two pieces of crystallized ginger. This is powerful stuff so don’t over do it.

Keep cool in the fridge until ready to serve.

Have cold milk on stand-by!

Enjoy – and Merry Christmas from the staff at Exploding Potatoes!

Crock Pot Crazy Cajun Rice

Image via Wikipedia

How ya’ll are? I started out trying to make a jambalaya in the old slow cooker, but you know, sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way you planned. But that’s okay, the food still tasted great. I just had to change the name. (Sorry, no photo this time, can’t find the camera and the iPhone 4s has yet to be ordered…)

Try my Crock Pot Crazy Cajun Rice next time it looks like snow outside. It’ll warm you up!

Prep time: 20 minutes.  Cooking time: 4 hours

In a large crock pot, put in the following:

1  – 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast (free range, hormone free), cut into 1 inch cube-chunks.

1 and a half pounds of Aidells Cajun style andouille sausage*, chopped

28 oz. diced tomatoes. I used a large can, but you can use fresh if you want.

1 medium onion, chopped

8 oz okra, chopped (frozen is okay if it is out of season)

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

32 oz. MSG free, low sodium free range chicken broth

Stir the ingredients with your wooden spoon, then cover and cook on low for about 3 hours.

Uncover the pot and stir the mixture. Now add:

4 cups of uncooked, jasmine rice.

Stir in the rice, then recover the pot. Cook on low for an hour. That should be enough time for the rice to cook and absorb the flavors of the spices. If the rice isn’t quite done, keep cooking, but you may have to add some water or chicken broth if it has become too dry.

Stir once more before serving.

Makes 8 good sized servings.

* I don’t normally specify brands, however Aidells’ products are all natural. NO MSG. NO NITRATES and NO ADDED HORMONES. Try ‘em. Remember, I don’t get anything from brands I mention. See the disclaimer post if you have questions.

Happy eating!

 

 

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Review: Prime 103 Steakhouse, Virginia Beach

So often a new restaurant will need days if not weeks to work the kinks out of their operation, and this can sometimes result in a less than accurate review. Prime 103 Steakhouse, newly opened in Virginia Beach, is not one of those places.

Prime 103 is an artfully decorated, “smart casual” restaurant, catering to those who desire fine dining without the white tablecloth, as well as anyone wishing to sit at a nice bar, watching sports on one of the flat screen televisions. The crowd, and it was a full house when we visited, ranged from young professionals to early retirees. There was no posted dress code, but all patrons were “out for the evening” and dressed accordingly. The kitchen, almost a “show kitchen,” gave the place a bit of pizzazz, with flames erupting high enough to be seen from the street. I wish I could have made it back there to see what was being prepared. (That’s the old cook in me, I guess.)

Now for the important stuff – the food and service. You are paying higher than average (for the area) prices, but you get higher than average cuisine. Much higher. Let’s start with the appetizers. Disclaimer: I dislike scallops. Can’t stand them. So a plate of bacon-wrapped scallops arrives and I try one, to be polite. I loved them. I will use these scallops as a benchmark to compare all others. Very light texture, tasty, and certainly not a hockey puck, I would order them again without hesitation. I also had the calamari, which was good, thankfully not overcooked, but the dipping sauce made the dish. We also had a crab dip with pita slices, excellent as well.

After the salad course, it was time for the entree. Some of us chose the flounder, others in my group tried the Delmonico-style steak. Two ordered the chicken piccata, so we covered the sea, land and barn, so to speak.

The main course was awesome. The flounder, a nice sized double filet, came stuffed with crab meat (not filler with crab bits.) The steak, a 10 ounce slab, looked so good a vegetarian would almost think twice. The chicken? I don’t know. The two who ordered it had finished their meal before I had a chance to even ask. Must have been that good.

Finally, the server stopped by with the dessert tray. So many choices, all of which looked luxuious. I went with a creme brule style cheesecake. It didn’t last long. I may just have to go back to sample the dessert tray!

Now let’s talk about the area most new (and some old) restaurants struggle with – service.

We had a large group, over a dozen of us. The staff accommodated us extremely well, without sacrificing service to the “regular” tables. We had one issue where the server heard the wrong thing and one of us had to wait for a new entree. That said (and it happens even in the best of places) what impressed me most was how well the staff handled the problem. Not only did the server apologize and immediately run back to the kitchen to rectify the mistake, the manager came over several times to make sure our guest was being taken care of. His meal was comped and he received a few extra beverages.

The service was excellent. The staff also showed great teamwork in handling a large group. I took note of the other diners, to see how they reacted to our large group. They appeared fine, with their food arriving in a timely fashion like ours. No one was discounted, service-wise. For a new place, it was obvious that much thought and care had been taken to ensure a memorable dining experience for all.

Don’t go expecting Applebee’s prices, but do go knowing you will get so much more than you pay for!

Prime 103 is located at 972 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach, close to but thankfully not at the resort area, in the same spot as the now-gone Jack’s Bistro. Don’t let the strip mall location fool you. Prime 103 is worth your time and money for that special dining experience.

And try the bacon-wrapped scallops.

Back from the hills…

Image by vossjose via Flickr

My goodness, it’s been a while since I have posted on E.P.   Rather than ladle out excuse after excuse for my inattention, let me give you a hint of my next culinary adventure.

Apple Butter. Grandma Alice’s homemade apple butter to be exact. Straight from the Blue Ridge Mountains, cooked in a huge copper pot hung over a wood fire, stirred with what looked like an over-sized garden hoe.

I don’t think it gets more authentic than this.

Came across Grandma Alice’s apple butter at the Appalachian Folk Art Festival in Radford, Virginia.  A nice event, complete with a woodcarver, blacksmith, basket weavers, knitters, tatters, fiddle and banjo band, and a lot more.  Go see it sometime! Usually happens in mid-October at Radford University.

So now I must go shopping for there are pork chops waiting.

See you soon.

Chuck Wagon Cooking & Paella

Paella - Chuck Wagon Style

Reenactments. They are everywhere, especially here in Virginia. Ours tend to be the Civil War variety, but further north you will find the Revolutionary War type. It’s all fun if you like that sort of thing, but what about old West revivals? What? People think they can imitate the Duke? Really??

Cowboys – Gunslingers – and Chuck Wagons, oh my.

Yes. Reliving the Old West is a growing niche in the world of reenactors. There is a single action shooting society that uses period weapons, meaning the old standby, the six shooter. There are companies out there that, for a fee, will let you drive cattle from point A to point B. Surely you have seen the movie City Slickers. I think Curly would make a better president than most of the folks running, but I digress. Let’s talk cooking!

Undercooked beans and overcooked cabrito (that’s goat in case you needed to know) were probably commonplace. I guess this was to be expected, since the chuck wagon cook, traditionally known as “Cookie,” probably did not have a copy of Julia Child’s  Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Yet one chuck wagon cook, Bendito del Freito, from the little known White Rock Trail “just south of the three forks of the Trinity,” in Texas, had a recipe for Paella. This is so good, the cowpokes probably gained weight by the end of the cattle drive!

(Disclaimer: Bendito did not graduate from the Le Cordon Bleu. His measurements are…unique.)

Here is my translation. Apologies to the grammar police.

Build the fire, get the coals going.

Put the skillet on the coals to heat up. (I used a large cast iron skill, on a Weber grill)

Throw on some chicken and pig. (I used boneless chicken breasts and St. Louis style pork ribs.)

When the pig don’t fight back (meaning it is done) move aside and put on some tomato, pimiento y frijole. (I used diced tomatoes, red and green bell peppers – rough chopped, onion – chopped, and green beans.)

Handful of ajo (garlic) and “the rest.” Clean water. (I like how Bendito specifically mentioned clean water. I used a tablespoon of minced garlic, rosemary, and a bit of salt, and even a touch of saffron. I also used two cups of chicken broth.)

Arroz. (meaning add uncooked rice to the mixture. How much? I used 1 1/2 cups.)

That’s all Bendito tells us. I covered the cast iron skillet for about twenty minutes to allow the rice to cook.

Yes, I know this is not a “normal” recipe. It’s just a bit of Texas folklore, really. If you want an excellent step by step recipe for Paella, including photos, visit my good friends from Colorado, The Fearless Cooking Club. These folks know how to have a good time!

And thanks to Bendito, wherever you are…

Yes! Lemon Meringue Pie for Dinner!

Lemon Meringue Pie

So my fabulous photographer, whose nickname is  “Double M,” decided she wanted a lemon meringue pie as part of her birthday dinner. While most families would put such a dish at the end of a meal, we are not most families.

Pie first!

And she even baked it! A special thanks to Double M’s grandma for the recipe, here is our version of Lemon Meringue Pie!

First – either make a plain crust or buy a plain crust. Place it in a large glass pie dish and bake it 8 to 10 minutes at 475 degrees F. Set aside to cool.

Now, the filling:

Put the following in a blender, in this order:

- juice and pulp of 4 lemons

- zest of 1 lemon

- 12 egg yolks (save the egg whites for later!)

- 2 cups of sugar

- 6 Tablespoons of corn starch

- 3 cups of hot water (water from the tap is fine as long as it’s hot)

- 4 Tablespoons flour

Blend away until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture into a saucepan and heat on the stove top (medium heat) stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and starts to boil. Take off the stove and blend in 2 Tablespoons of butter. Stir until smooth.

Time to make the meringue!

12 egg whites (see? I told you they would come in handy!)

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Put the three ingredients in a chilled metal bowl and using an electric handheld mixer with whisk attachment, beat on highest speed until stiff peaks form. You can do this by hand, but be prepared to get tired, very quickly. Just use the electric appliance. It’s okay, even for you purists!

Pour the lemon mixture into the baked pie crust. Cover with the meringue.

Bake at 400 degrees F. until peaks are a delicate brown.

Keep watch! It won’t take too long.

Once done, you should really let it cool before slicing. You can chill it, also, for excellent slicing.

We couldn’t wait, so as you can see by the picture, the slice started to fall apart a bit. But for a birthday dinner – it was perfect!!

Happy eating! And for Double M, happy birthday!!

Birthday Pie!