Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers with Goat Cheese

Although we don't eat a tremendous amount of meat, we do find that at least three to four meals a week will have meat as a main ingredient. During the lenten season, we cut back tremendously on our meat intake as a way to abstain from indulgences and simplify our lives (and our diets). Throughout the year, we make a conscious effort to eat at least one entirely vegetarian meal a week, and we always celebrate Meatless Mondays. As a result, I've spent the last few months researching and pinning more meals with vegetables and grains at the center and meat to the side, if not absent entirely. This meal promised big in the nutritional arena - a healthful blend of colors and more than sufficient protein in the quinoa. 

My kids are major quinoa fans, usually asking for quinoa bowls on Meatless Mondays. This seemed to follow their tastes, so I decided to give it a try. It did not fail me. Both kids ate plenty and there are still five halves remaining for lunch leftovers. A worthy, inexpensive, and healthy weekday dinner. 

You need:

4  large or six medium red bell peppers (any color will do, or a mix)
1 cup quinoa
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 5-ounce log goat cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Slice bell peppers in half, remove stem, seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, cut side down, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast peppers for 15-20 minutes until just starting to char and soften. Remove from oven, flip pepper halves over and set aside. Meanwhile, place quinoa in a dry saucepan over medium heat. Toast quinoa, stirring or shaking pan often, about 8-10 minutes or until just turning a light brown. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook quinoa for 10-15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Mix together garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and black pepper, whisk until combined. Place quinoa, cherry tomatoes and asparagus in a medium-sized bowl. Add dressing and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Fill pepper halves with quinoa mixture. Divide goat cheese into 8 portions and crumble over the top. Place stuffed peppers back in oven for 5 minutes until asparagus is crisp-tender and tomatoes and goat cheese are softened. Can serve immediately or at room temperature.

Adventures in Baking #4: Irish Soda Bread

Each year, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day with our dearest friends. Jim and Denise make the most delicious corned beef and cabbage you could ever savor, and Mike and I are responsible for three things: dessert, beer, and Irish soda bread. For  years, we've ordered the soda bread from one of Mike's co-workers, but she has decided to stop baking and selling. What a perfect opportunity to add Irish soda bread to my Adventures in Baking series.

This was absurdly easy to make. Unlike leavened breads, which are amazing but time consuming, this bread was assembled and baked in the same morning. It was dense, moist, and beautiful. Don't wait until next March to try it.

You need:

•  1 and 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 4 and 1/4 cups flour
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 and 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 cup raisins (I used half golden, half Thompson)
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 8-10 inch oven safe skillet or dutch oven with butter or nonstick spray. A baking sheet will also do, though the bread may spread out a bit more. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, two forks/knives, or your fingers. Work the dough until into coarse crumbs, then fold in the raisins with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Gently fold the dough together until dough is too stiff to stir. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. Dough will be sticky, but if it is absolutely too sticky add a little more flour as needed. Do not over knead. Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet/pan. Using a lightly buttered serrated knife, score an X on the top. Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top about halfway through bake time. Remove skillet/pan from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. It's best with a really great Irish butter or my own marmalade. 

Chocolate Orange Challah Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It looked delicious and complicated and just what could tackle on vacation.

It has proven to be all three. It takes forever. The recipe and instructions are so complex that I'm simply including the link to the original blog post from Yin and Yolk. It was worth the challenge, however. If you dare...

http://yinandyolk.com/2015/09/27/chocolate-orange-challah-bread/

Bolognese

I love slow Sunday suppers. I enjoy having all afternoon in the kitchen, experimenting with flavors and putting my own spin on recipes. However, we often find ourselves so busy over the weekend that it's hard to devote that kind of time.

This weekend's subzero temperatures afforded me the opportunity to hunker down and go for it. I had no interest in leaving the house for any reason. This was the perfect weekend for a four-hour Bolognese. You have to make the time for this recipe, but the best part is that it makes a generous amount, affording you with leftovers to freeze and enough to share with a fellow foodie. It's best over a flat noodle. Today, I used my fettuccine and served it up with a slice of Dutch oven bread and an arugula salad. 

You need:

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. pancetta, chopped

1 lg. onion, chopped

2 med. carrots, chopped

stems of 1 head fennel, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 lb. meatball mix (beef, pork, veal)

2 c. dry red wine

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 28oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, undrained

1 rind of Parmesan cheese

In a large Dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about five minutes. Add onion and cook five minutes more. Add carrots and fennel and cook for an additional two minutes. Add the meat and season with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Break up the meat and cook until browned. Add the wine, stir, and simmer, uncovered, until the wine has evaporated. Add milk and nutmeg. Simmer, uncovered, until the milk has evaporated. Add tomatoes, crushing in your hands as you add them, as well as their juices. Bring to bubbling simmer. Add Parmesan rind, reduce to low, and simmer for three hours. 

Dark Chocolate Pudding

Our Valentine's Day dessert this year came at C's request. He's a pudding man. Thanks to Parents magazine for this very easy pudding. 

You need:

3/4 c. sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 c. half and half or whole milk (I used 1 1/2 cup of each)

1 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (I used 4 oz. each)

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cocoa powder. Add the milk or half and half and cook slowly over medium hear, stirring frequently until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add the butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Ladle into bowls and chill for up for 24 hours. 

Fennel and Citrus Salad

I made a lovely Bolognese today, but it only called for the stems of the fennel. I despise food waste, so I decided to use up the bulb and some leftover grapefruit and oranges from our last produce box. The result was such a fresh and flavorful salad, welcome on these cold days where summer seems miles away. This recipe makes about enough for 2-3 people.

You need:

1 bulb fennel
2 grapefruits, peeled and segmented
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
1 shallot, minced
zest of a lemon
1 tsp. fresh thyme
4 tbsp. olive oil (I used blood orange)
2 tbsp. white or champagne vinegar (I used cranberry pear)
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Using a mandoline, slice the fennel very thin. Add to a large bowl. Add the grapefruit, onions, shallots, lemon zest, and thyme. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Dress the vegetables. Garnish with a few fennel fronds.

Fresh Pasta

Almost seventeen years ago, my Aunt Clem bought me a pasta maker for my wedding gift. Today, I finally used it. I don't know what allowed me to let it rest peacefully in the appliance graveyard in our basement, but a good friend got me thinking about fresh pasta and I decided to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.

This recipe is simple, and you don't need a pasta maker to do this. A hand held, crank pasta machine will suffice, as will rolling the dough thinly and slicing with your pizza cutter. If you are going for a noodle, and I used it for fetching, the pasta maker or hand crank works well. If you are making a flat or shaped pasta, such as a ravioli or tortellini, do the whole thing by hand. Follow the directions for your pasta maker. The directions below are for hand crafted or crank pasta. It makes about a pound of pasta, just enough for four as a main course.

You need:

2 1/4 c. all purpose  or semolina flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. olive oil
1 to 2 tbsp. water

Mound the flour on your board. Form a well in the middle. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and pour into the well. Add the salt, olive oil, and one tablespoon of water. Mix with a fork, gradually lifting the flour into the center and incorporating the ingredients. Once fully incorporated, gently knead until dough is smooth. Shape into a flattened disk and let rest for about a half an hour.

Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the kind of pasta you need.  To cook, add to boiling water, just about 2-3 minutes.