Archive for the ‘Side Dishes’ Category

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper Picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

How did Peter pick pickled peppers? The peppers wouldn’t have been pickled yet if he was just picking them, right? Who writes these tongue twisters anyway? And who the heck is Peter Piper? And why would his mom name him that? That’s just mean.

I digress… transgress… regress…

When we arrived home after a few weeks of travel, I picked at least a peck of peppers, possibly a pair of pecks – a profusion of peppers were picked at their peak. Among green, holey moley, habanero, banana peppers, and pimentos, I had a bunch of jalapenos waiting for use.

Right away I started looking for ways to use them, and stumbled across a recipe for “Firecracker Pie” in my Aunt Carole’s cookbook.

I made a few additions and adaptations, ’cause I like to play in the kitchen. Similar to a quiche, this crustless pie is a cinch to make. Let’s get started.

You’ll need jalapeños, a little bit of olive oil, sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses (feel free to substitute your favorite cheeses or whatever you have on hand), eggs, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper. I began by roasting my jalapeños.

As I said, when we arrived home our peppers were prime for picking. Some had ripened to red, which is totally okay to use. When they get to the red stage, the flavor and heat will be a little stronger, and they tend to spoil quicker. Plus they’re not as crunchy, but for this purpose they’re fine.

Also, you may notice the cracking, or lines on some of these peppers. That’s called “corking.” I can’t tell you how many peppers I’ve tossed in the past with corking. But don’t toss ‘em! Corking isn’t going to harm anyone, anybody, or anything. It’s just a little stretching of the skin, stress lines if you will. They’re perfectly okay to use. They may not look as purty as the others, but nowadays, I’m accepting all things wrinkled with my arms wide open.

So, where were we…oh, yes, roasting the jalapeños. Chop the ends off the jalapeños, cut length wise and de-seed.

Be sure to wash your hands with hot soapy water after handling the jalapeños or you may be in for a rude awakening.

Toss the jalapeños with a tad bit of olive oil (maybe 1-2 teaspoons).

Place the jalapeños on a baking sheet, cut side down and bake in a 400°F oven for about 15 minutes.

While the peppers are roasting, shred your cheeses.

Prep the cilantro, by rinsing and giving it a quick rough chop.

Next, crack 4 eggs into a small bowl.

Add salt and pepper.

Beat all well to combine.

When the jalapeños have finished roasting, they’ll look like this.

Let them cool slightly, then peel the skins off.

They should easily peel off, if not cover with a kitchen towel, bowl or aluminum foil and let steam for another few minutes. Once the jalapeños are peeled, stack ‘em up…

And chop ‘em up.

Next, spread the jalapeños in a single layer in a greased pie plate. Now, here’s what I’d change next time…I only used 6 jalapeños, but next time I’d use at least 8, maybe more, in order to totally cover the bottom of the pie plate.

Next layer the shredded cheeses over the jalapeño.

Sprinkle the cilantro over the cheeses.

Last goes, the beaten eggs with salt and pepper.

Bake in 325°F for about 40 minutes. Be sure to serve while still warm.

You’ll notice, when cooked in a 9″ pie plate, this pie isn’t that thick, which is fine. But if you want to bake it in another size dish for a thicker pie, you’ll need to adjust cooking time just a tad.

This Jalapeño Pie recipe is not only great for breakfast, but served alongside a fresh salad, it would make a delightful lunch or dinner.

Enjoy!

Jalapeño Pie Recipe
(makes 8-10 servings)
adapted from Carole Radford’s “At Home for the Holidays”

Ingredients:

6-8 (or even 10) jalapeños

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Begin by preheating the oven to 400°F.

Chop the ends off the jalapeños, cut length wise, de-seed and toss with a little olive oil (maybe 1-2 teaspoons), place on a baking sheet, cut side down and bake in a 400°F oven for about 15 minutes.

While the peppers are roasting, shred your cheeses.

Prep the cilantro, by rinsing and giving it a quick rough chop.

Next beat the eggs together along with the salt and pepper.

When the jalapeños are finished roasting, reduce oven to 325°F, and let the jalapeños cool slightly.

When cool enough to handle, peel the skins off of the jalapeños. They should easily peel off, if not cover with a kitchen towel, bowl or aluminum foil and let steam for another few minutes. Once the jalapeños are peeled, chop them up.

Place the chopped jalapeños in a single layer in the bottom of a greased pie plate, followed by the shredded cheeses, then the cilantro, and finally the beaten eggs with salt and pepper.

Bake in 325°F for about 40 minutes. Serve warm.

It’s melon eating season y’all, and here’s a light melon salad perfect for a summer cookout, or just to have on hand for a snack. When I saw Giada make it a few years back on the Food Network I knew I had to try it. It’s perfectly sweet, with a hint of fresh mint, and it couldn’t be easier. Double the recipe – you’ll be glad you did.

You’ll need sugar, water, watermelon, cantaloupe, lemon juice and amaretto (optional) and mint.

Mint, my nemesis in the garden, but so handy in recipes like this one.

To begin, you will first need to create a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a low simmer and stir, making sure that all sugar is dissolved. It should only take a couple of minutes of simmering.

The liquid will thicken slightly and should remain clear. Remove from heat and let cool.

Note: There will be more syrup than needed for this recipe. You can refrigerate the remaining syrup for a few days to use in your favorite summertime drink.

Next, using a melon baller, scoop about 3 1/2 cups of watermelon.

And scoop the same amount of cantaloupe.

Place all melon balls into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

If you don’t have a melon baller, you could cut up the melon into about 1-1 1/2″ squares.

Once the simple syrup has cooled, in the pitcher of a blender, add the mint and lemon juice.

Add the amaretto and simple syrup.

Blend until the mint is finely chopped.

Pour the mixture over the melon pieces.

Combine well.

Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate until needed. It does get better the longer the syrup combo mingles with the melon, so let it mingle a while if you have time. Mingling is good.

It’s a fresh and tasty combo for sure. Enjoy!

Melon Salad Recipe
(makes about 8 servings)
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups (approximately) watermelon balls

3 1/2 cups (approximately) cantaloupe balls

1/2 cup mint leaves, packed

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon amaretto

Directions:

- Begin by making the simple syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer and stir, making sure that all sugar is dissolved. It should only take a couple of minutes of simmering. The liquid will thicken slightly and should remain clear. Remove from heat and let cool. (Remember: You are only using a portion of this syrup. Refrigerate the remainder for a few days if you’d like, for use in another recipe. It’s great for sweetening tea or water.)

- Next, using a melon baller, scoop about 3 1/2 cups of watermelon and 3 1/2 cups cantaloupe into a large mixing bowl and set aside. If you don’t have a melon baller you can always cut up the melon into about 1-1 1/2″ squares.

- Once the simple syrup has cooled, blend 1/4 cup of the simple syrup, mint, lemon juice and amaretto in a blender until mint is finely chopped.

- Pour the mixture over the melon pieces and combine well.

- Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate until needed.

Hope your summertime is filled with fun, flavor and some time to relax!

This is a quick, quick, quick like a bunny (sorry, my mom used to say that all the time) recipe. With a few ingredients you can whip this White Bean Sauté up in no time.

And it’s beans.

And it’s healthy.

Let’s get started. You’ll need olive oil, sweet onion, garlic, white beans (cannellini or great northern), tarragon (or thyme, or your favorite herb), salt, pepper and white wine. I used Pinot Grigio because that’s what I had on hand, but you could use any white wine you’d like.

Begin by heating the olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat.

When the oil is ready, add the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté for about 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to let the garlic burn. Adjust the heat if necessary.

Next, add the white beans, tarragon, salt and pepper. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes or so. When sautéing the beans, use a gentle hand so as not to mash the beans up. You don’t want a big pile of mush.

When the pan begins to “dry up” (I’m not a professional chef, so I don’t know what the proper terminology is), deglaze (I know that one) the pan with the white wine, which means to pour the white wine into the pan and hear it sizzle.

Continue to sauté for another four minutes, or five minutes, or six minutes…

Basically you want the wine to cook down and the beans to be warmed to your liking. So taste one. If you like it, it’s done. That’s it.

Serve alongside chicken, fish, beef, or maybe just a nice crisp salad. Other than the effortlessness of this recipe, I like the fact that it lends itself well to using as a starter for a soup or a sauce. I’ll be sharing with you how I do that in the next few weeks.

White Bean Sauté

(serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, rough chopped (Vidalias are yummy for this!)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 15 oz. canned cannellini beans (or great northern beans)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped (thyme would make a good substitute; if using dried herbs, use 1/4–1/2 teaspoon)
• 2-3 tablespoons white wine (again, I used Pinot Grigio, but any white wine should be fine)

Directions:

- Begin by heating the olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat.

- When the oil is ready, add the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté for about 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to let the garlic burn. Adjust the heat if necessary.

- Next, add the white beans, tarragon, salt and pepper. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes or so. When sautéing the beans, use a gentle hand so as not to mash the beans up to mush.

- When the pan begins to “dry up” (again, I’m not a professional chef, so I don’t know what the proper terminology is), add the white wine. Continue to sauté for another four minute or five minutes, or six minutes… or however long it takes for the wine to reduce down and the beans to be cooked to your liking. Taste a bean. If you like it, then it’s done.

Hope you enjoy! Do you have any simple side dishes to share?

(I’m excited that I’ve entered into a paid, formal partnership with Bush’s Beans but the post above isn’t a part of that agreement. I just love beans and this recipe, and hope you enjoy it too.)