Asparagus & Sweet Peppers: Delightful Match!

I am a big fan of color--big fan. My couch is red, my hangers are lime green, the chairs on the porch are electric blue, and few clothes in my closet follow a neutral palette. So it's no surprise that I also like colorful meals. Meals or dishes with lots of color have different flavors, variety, and are usually really good for you. What I especially love about this dish is that it even looks like Spring!

When my father and his brothers were young boys, asparagus grew wild along the banks of the canals and creeks near their childhood home. The boys would go out and hand cut the asparagus and bring it home for dinner. Call me wistful or nostalgic, but I just think that's a really cute visual! Asparagus popping up at the local market is a sure sign that Spring is here.

When choosing asparagus, I grab the smallest, most tender stalks I can find. The sweet peppers compliment the asparagus--which can have a slightly bitter flavor according to some--and when mixed inside a creamy risotto...I'm salivating! I want to make this dish again right now!

Spring Risotto With Asparagus & Sweet Peppers
--2 tsp olive oil, divided
--1 small shallot, diced
--1 cup arborio rice
--1 cup wine
--1 cup chicken broth
--1 oz. goat cheese
--1 bunch fresh asparagus, ends removed and stalks snapped into 2-inch long pieces
--4-5 small sweet peppers, roughly chopped
--black pepper

Heat a medium-sized saucepan on medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp of the olive oil and the shallot and sauté for a few minutes, until the shallot begins to get translucent. Add the dry arborio rice and stir for 1 minute before adding 1/2 cup of the wine. Stir regularly and as the rice absorbs the wine, add the other 1/2 cup of wine. Once the rice has absorbed the wine begin adding the chicken broth in 1/4 cup increments, stirring regularly and allowing the rice to absorb the broth before adding more.

While the risotto cooks, heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil and the asparagus and peppers to the pan. Crack a healthy dose of black pepper over the veggies and sauté until tender, tossing regularly for even cooking.

When the veggies are done add them to the rice pot, stirring well to combine. Add the goat cheese and again stir well to melt the goat cheese and mix the creamy deliciousness into the risotto. Serve and top with more black pepper if desired!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Calories: 271 per serving

Pâtisserie, Mais Oui!

I have told you previously about my love of pie crusts. It's kind of like eating fried food--it's always good, no matter what it is. Think about it. Fried pickles, yes. Fried oysters, yes. Fried chicken, hell yes. Now, try it with pie crust. Irish boxty, yum. Pie of pretty much any flavor under the sun, yum. Chicken pot pie, yum yum.

Pâtisserie is just a fancy French way of saying pastry, and so much fun to say! Say it with me, "Pâtisserie..." Yeah, it even sounds delicious. Unlike their fruit-filled sugar-glazed counterparts, these pâtisseries are savory and work well as an hors d'oeuvre or as part of a tasty meal.

Red Pepper Rosemary Pâtisseries
--4-5 small sweet peppers (I used the small sweet bell peppers Costco sells)
--1 refrigerated pie crust dough
--4 oz. brie cheese
--1 TSP + 1 TBSP unsalted butter
--1 small shallot, diced
--fresh rosemary

Take the peppers and place them directly onto the oven rack. Roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, turning once. Let cool before removing tops and slicing in half.

.Roll out the pie crust and cut it into 6 squares. Wrap 6 equal-sized pieces of brie in the pie crust, making packages. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until pie crust is golden, brushing occasionally with 1 TSP melted butter.

While the pastry cooks, melt the 1 TBSP butter in a large skillet. Sauté the shallot and fresh rosemary until the shallot is softened and begins to brown. Add the sliced roasted peppers and sauté until tender.

Remove the pastries from the oven and pour the pepper mixture into the pan. Brush the pâtisseries with any remaining butter and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve the pâtisseries over the sweet pepper mix.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6 Pâtisseries
Calories: 251 per Pâtisserie

Smoky, Leeky, and of Course, Corny

I love leeks. But unlike their cousins, garlic and onions, I'm never quite sure what to do with leeks. But if I'm eating out and the menu item says "...blah blah leeks..." you bet I'm ordering it! So I decided to do a little experimentation by adding leeks to the corn chowder I was making. If only I was a little more up on my French cuisine... However, experiment's results? Win!

This chowder gets it's smoky flavor (and name) from the bacon, sure. But the real trick to the smoky layered flavors is the blistered bell pepper. If it's old outside (like the subzero temps we've had in the past few weeks) you can use the broiler on your oven to roast peppers, chiles, and the like to beautiful smoky glory. It will add an additional oomph of flavor to any dishes you would be using these babies in (especially chili, soups, and stews!).

Smoky Leek-Corn Chowder
--1 bell pepper, whole
--4 strips bacon
--1 leek stalk, sliced into small rings
--2 ears of fresh corn, niblets sliced off and cobs discarded
--1 10oz. package of frozen corn
--1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or stock
--2 cups heavy whipping cream

Set the oven to broil and place the bell pepper on a baking sheet on the top rack of the oven. Turn the pepper every 3 minutes to ensure even roasting (and not burning!). The pepper is done when it is roasted on all sides and the skin is crackled and easy to peel off. Set it aside to cool. We will not use the oven again in this recipe.

In a pot with deep sides, cook the bacon strips over medium to medium-high heat. When golden brown but not burned, set aside. Add the leeks to the bacon grease in the pot and sauté over medium heat, stirring regularly. When the leeks begin to get tender, add the fresh corn pieces, stirring together to mix. Allow this to cook for two or so minutes so the corn begins to get tender as well.

While the vegetables cook, remove the skin from the pepper. Dice the roasted pepper pieces, removing any stems or seeds as desired. [Note: If you want to add a little more "fire" to the soup, leave some of the seeds in.] Once chopped, add these pepper pieces to the pot and stir to combine before moving on to the next step.

Pour in the frozen corn, broth, and cream. Stir to combine and allow to come to a boil before reducing the temperature and simmering the soup for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep cream from scalding. Serve, topped with the cooked bacon, crumbling one piece atop each bowl like bacon-y croutons. Season with fresh cracked black pepper.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 1 hour
Serves: 6 bowls
Calories: 307 per bowl

Spice Up Your Life

Note to self: Self, when friends say they are sick, find out what kind of sick. End note.

Telling me "I'm sick," is like telling me "I haven't eaten in years, please help." (I will feed you. Like it's my job. Because it sort of is. At least that's what I tell myself.) So when the headmistress of The Donnybrook Writing Academy mentioned off-handedly that she was a bit under the weather, I gathered up some ingredients and went to town. You see, what I heard was, "I have a cold-flu-pneumonia-bronchitis sort of plague and would like to breathe again at some point in the near future." So I went with spice, fire, and zest. 

What she meant was, "I don't want to see food much less smell it or eat it so stay away from me Devil Woman." So I ate it instead and let her starve it out. But it's the thought that counts, right?

So, Miss Angora Holly Polo, here was the soup that your stomach would have immediately rebelled against eating. I'm glad you are feeling better now...

xoxo,

Devil Woman who accidentally tried to kill you but failed

Spicy Black Bean & Rice Sopa
--TBSP olive oil
--small white onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--cumin
--ancho chile powder
--crushed red pepper flakes
--1 bell pepper, seeds removed and julienned (sliced in thin strips)
--TBSP chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
--TSP tomato paste
--1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
--2 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
--1 cup water
--1 dry cup rice
--1 cup spinach leaves, washed and torn

Heat large pot with a well-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the olive oil and allow to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the onion, garlic, and spices, stirring together to mix well. The spices will coat the onion pieces and embed the flavor deep within the soupy goodness. Sauté onion to translucency before adding the bell pepper and ancho chile pieces. Stir well to combine and saute for a few minutes until the peppers get tender.

Add the tomato paste, black beans, 1 cup chicken broth, and the water to the pot. Stir it all up and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add the rice and cover and simmer 20 minutes to cook the rice. Add the additional cup of chicken broth and stir. The rice will continue to soak up liquid.

Add the spinach to the top of the pot but wait before stirring. The heat from the pot will start wilting the spinach and cooking it down. Give the pot a big hearty stir to combine all ingredients, then serve it!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 466 per serving

One Hot Sweet Mess

Jalapeno poppers are pretty standard bar food to be sure. But I can distinctly recall the very first time a barmaid planted a basket of them in front of me with a side of jam. Yes, jam. Ranch dressing be damned! Nothing can beat that delicious feeling of hot and spicy combined with melted cheese in the sweet sticky dip of jam.

Nothing that is except this baked version.  All the flavors, none of the frying!

Oh, and, uh, bacon. Clearly.

Bacon-Wrapped Baked Jalapeno Poppers
--1 dozen small jalapenos
--1/2 block of light cream cheese
--1 jar delicious fruit jam
--6 raw bacon pieces, sliced in half
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Lop the tops off the jalapenos. Slice open lengthwise to de-seed. Scoop out seeds with a spoon.

Take the block of cream cheese and slice off 12 small chunks. Stuff each pepper with one spoonful of jam and one small chunk of cream cheese.

Take each "popper" and wrap it in bacon. Place inside an oven safe dish and cook for 15 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

(Please forgive the non-bacon eaters. They were vegetarian. It's not their fault.)

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves : 6
Calories/Serving : 278