The Purloined Recipe

Janet Grossman

This is a great way to use tomatillos and Poblano peppers if you don’t want to make salsa. We think it tastes like a stroganoff sauce, and I always add lots of sliced mushrooms. Serve over pasta, baked potatoes, grains and vegetables. I put it over pasta and steamed purple green beans this week.

2/3 c. cashew pieces (raw)
1 1/2 lbs fresh tomatillos
1 fresh Poblano pepper, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup unsweetened soy milk

Grind cashews to powder in blender or small coffee grinder and set aside.

Removed and discard outer husks from tomatillos, wash thoroughly, and chop tomatillos. Put tomatillos into a large skillet or flat-bottomed wok.

Add Poblano pepper, garlic, onion, salt, cumin, and pepper to skillet. Cook over high heat about 6 or 7 minutes, stirring to cook evenly.

Add soy milk to skillet and stir well. When mixture begins to bubble, add ground cashews a little at a time. Stir until thickened and smooth, about 2 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, garlic, onions, peppers, stews, tomatillos

2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups frozen corn kernels (thawed) or cooked corn cut off the ear
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup canola oil (for frying)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine potatoes, corn, egg; mix with spoon.

Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Using clean hands, form mixture into 1 1/2inch diameter patties; dip each patty in bread crumbs, coating both sides.

Over medium heat, in a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil until hot. Fry the patties, a few at a time, for 2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom; flip and cook another 2 minutes on the second side. (If flatter, more crispy cakes are desired, flatten cakes while cooking with spatula).

Transfer finished cakes to a baking sheet and keep in a warm oven (200 degrees) until all cakes are cooked. Transfer cakes to a serving platter and serve with salsa, if desired.

For the Salsa:

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion

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from Molly Beverly

Makes 3 cups

2 1/2 pounds sweet red peppers
1 cup walnuts, sunflower seeds or pine nuts
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Roast bell peppers, remove stems and seeds. This works best on a gas or charcoal grill, outside, so your house does not heat up.

Alternatively use a gas burner on your stove or roast in the oven on highest heat. Cook peppers, turning occasionally until blackened and blistered and completely soft. Remove stems.

Place peppers in blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Served chilled.

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2 large bell peppers, sliced in half and emptied out
2 C of cooked grain of your choice (rice, quinoa, couscous, lentils, tempeh, etc.)
1/3 to 1/2 C fresh basil or other herb
1/2 C of diced onion
1 C of chopped tomatoes
1/4 C goat cheese
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

EXTRAS: toss in a small handful (1/4 C) of your favorite things like walnuts, capers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, anchovies.

Stuffing a bell pepper is so easy, stuff it with ANYTHING you want or have. This is a great dish for using leftovers.

Cut your bell peppers in half lengthwise. Take out the seeds and white
membrane–a spoon works well for this. Set the halves aside.

Get together all the stuffing ingredients and start throwing them into a bowl. You can substitute some of the grain with tofu, meat, wild rice, or Manoomin, which is mucho delicious! At Trader Joe’s this stuff is sold pre-cooked in a vacuum packed bag.

Mix it all up in a bowl, season it and taste it. Does it taste good? Could you eat this on its own? If you say YES then stuff the peppers! If you say no…play with the mix some more and get it tasting just right.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Line up your pepper halves in some sort of a baking pan and stuff ‘em! Chuck them in the oven and let it ride for about 30 minutes. When a fork easily pierces the skin of a pepper they are done!

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, basil, entrees, onions, peppers, tomatoes

8 banana peppers
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1. Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but firm, about 5 mins. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat butter in a medium skillet. Sauté reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in hot sausage, mild sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
5. Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.
6. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour.

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from Lester Darazs

Ingredients:
¼ cup extra light olive oil (or lard, or what ever shortening preferred)
4 cups of onions, coarsely chopped
6 cups of white Hungarian (Gypsy) peppers, or bell peppers, cut to about 1” pieces
8 cups of vine ripened tomatoes blanched and peeled, chopped to I” pieces
2 tsp salt, l tsp coarsely ground black pepper, 1 tbsp of Hungarian paprika.
1 pint tomato juice
1 Ring of Polish sausage, or Hungarian sausage, or Chorizo
2 Tbsp sugar
2 teaspoons or more crushed chile, optional
In a large nonstick pot (about 6 qt) sauté the onions in the olive oil, under lid, until the onions are slightly limp, about 8-10 mm. med.

Heat. Do not brown.

Add paprika and stir quickly to coat all the onions with the paprika, and quickly add the tomato juice, all of the tomatoes, stir to just mix, and spices and sugar, stir and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to mix it all up, and cover, Cook for about 30 mm on medium heat, stir occasionally to keep from burning on the bottom, reduce heat to low and simmer partly covered for another 30-45 mm, or until the Lecsó gets to the desired consistency.

Adjust to taste.

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Serves 4

2 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces aged goat cheese
1 small head lettuce, such as red leaf or Bibb

1. Heat grill to high. Roast red peppers on grill until charred, turning as each side blackens. Transfer to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Using paper towels, peel off blackened skin.
2. Lay peppers flat on a clean work surface. Using a sharp paring knife, cut open peppers and remove seeds and ribs. Slice into ½-inch-wide strips. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and black pepper; set aside.
3. Slice goat cheese into four pieces, and place directly on grill. Heat, covered, until cheese starts to soften and melt. Remove from grill.
4. Place one piece on each serving plate. Arrange lettuce leaves next to cheese on each plate. Drizzle greens and cheese with remaining tablespoon oil; season lightly with salt and black pepper. Divide reserved peppers among plates; serve immediately.

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Serves 6

At first glance, you may think that these vegetables are overcooked to death. Long slow roasting though allows the individual flavors to intermingle. The potatoes are meltingly tender without becoming mushy, the onions are marvelously sweet and the spices have mellowed. The smoked cheese adds a meaty quality so although this is a great side dish for grilled poultry and pork, it is also substantial enough to satisfy a hearty vegetarian appetite.

2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. yellow zucchini, cut in 1/3-inch rounds
½ lb. small red potatoes, scrubbed, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
3 large ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 each red and green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and minced…(use your Chilepenos)
6 ozs white mushrooms, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 Tbs. each fresh thyme and basil leaves
¾ cup white wine
4 ozs smoked mozzarella, shredded
½ cup Parmesan, freshly shredded

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a roasting pan and place onions and garlic in pan.

Add olive oil and coat the vegetables. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes.

Remove and add remaining ingredients except cheese. Cover again and bake or 45 minutes. Cover and roast for another 45 minutes.

Remove cover, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve hot or just slightly warm.

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Serves 8

1 pound spinach, cleaned and dried
1 cup dried figs, quartered
1 small Jicama cut in julienne strips
1 red bell pepper seeded and cut in thin strips

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 jalapeno chili, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Whisk together dressing ingredients.

When ready to serve–

Toss spinach in a bowl with half the dressing and arrange on plates. Toss figs and Jicama together with remaining dressing and place on top of spinach.

Garnish with red pepper strips and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Orange Variation:

Substitute oranges for figs. Cut through the skin and outer membrane of the orange. Slice orange and cut into quarters.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, garlic, peppers, salad dressings, salads, spinach

Serves 6

All the nightshades are braised together in a sauce of basil and cilantro, two herbs that are quite possibly even better in combination than they are separately. Serve warm or at room temperature with a spoonful of garlic-infused yogurt or a wedge of lemon.

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1½ pounds Yellow Finn, Russian Banana, or other waxy potatoes
2 large peppers, red and/or yellow bells or cubanelles
vegetable oil
1 cup packed basil leaves
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
3 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon roasted ground cumin
2 large onions, peeled and cut into eighths, or 16 very small onions
1 pound short oblong eggplants, such as Ichiban, quartered lengthwise
2 or 3 large meaty red tomatoes peeled, seeded, and diced
1½ cups cooked chickpeas (1 15-ounce can, rinsed)

Preheat the broiler. Bring 6 cups water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Slice the potatoes lengthwise about ½ inch thick, boil them for 5 minutes, and drain. Halve the peppers lengthwise, press to flatten them, then brush with vegetable oil. Broil, cut side down, on a baking sheet until blistered but not charred. Stack them on top of one another and set aside to steam. When cool, remove the skins and cut the pieces in half. Set the oven temperature at 350°F.

Coarsely chop the basil, cilantro, and garlic, then puree in a small food processor with olive oil, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt.

Toss all the vegetables with 1 teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper, and the herb mixture. Using your hands, rub the herb mixture into the vegetables, especially the eggplant, then add the chickpeas and toss once more. Transfer everything to an earthenware gratin dish. Rinse out the herb container with ½ cup water and pour it over all Cover the gratin dish tightly with foil and bake until tender, about 1½ hours. Remove the foil, brush the exposed vegetables with the juices, and bake for 20 minutes more. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, basil, cilantro, eggplant, entrees, garlic, onions, peppers, potatoes, salads, side dishes, soups, stews