One Perfect Bite: red bell pepper

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Cauliflower Salad with Red Pepper, Olives and Anchovies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I first sampled this salad in the Italian kitchen of my childhood. Mrs. S. made it for her family, but only during the Christmas holiday. The dish originated in Sicily and it was called insalata di rinforzo. She called it reinforced salad because its ingredients were refreshed every day until the feast of the Epiphany was celebrated. At that point, it would miraculously disappear from her table and not be seen again until the following Christmas. I had really fond memories of the salad which looked like an element of giardiniera, but tasted nothing like its acrid pickled cousin. I had for years tried to duplicate it, but was never able to get it quite right. While searching for recipes that could be used to represent the work of Marcella Hazan, I stumbled on her recipe for the salad and, of course, had to try it. What was lost had now been found and I wasted no time making it. I love the way this salad looks and I really like its heady earthy flavors. The salad, which is very easy to make, is strongly flavored and not meant for the faint of heart. Those who share my love of full-bodied foods are in for a taste treat. Please note that the recipe uses capers and anchovies, neither of which are favorites of the general public. I'd love to tell you they can be omitted, but that is not the case. It's best not to attempt the salad if you aren't going to use them. Hazan's recipes have a lovely balance of flavors and I think you'll really like this salad. Here's the recipe.

Cauliflower Salad with Red Pepper, Olives and Anchovies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Marcella Hazan

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, about 1-1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons capers, drained
4 flat anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sweet red bell pepper,peeled, cored and cut into thin strips
10 black Greek-style olives, pitted and cut in half
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar

Directions:
1) Trim outer leaves of cauliflower and cut an x in the root. Bring at least 6 cups of water to a boil. Add cauliflower, cover pot, and cook until stem of cauliflower can easily be pierced with a fork, about20 minutes. Drain and cool.
2) Break cauliflower clusters into bite-sized pieces and put them in a salad bowl. Add capers, anchovies, bell pepper and black olives and toss gently to combine. Add vinegar and olive oil and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield 4 to 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Red Peppers Stuffed with Orzo and Feta Cheese

Two Years Ago Today: Kona Coffee Cookies

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Marinated Vegetable Salad - Drick's Rambling Cafe
Chopped Vegetable Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing - David Lebovitz
Vegetable Salad with Cheese - Eat Pray and Blog
Orzo Vegetable Salad - Maine Food and Lifestyle
Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad- My Life in Food

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Red Pepper Soup with Ginger and Fennel

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My eyes have always been bigger than my stomach. As a child I'd serve myself more food that could possibly be eaten and when visiting the library withdrew more books than could reasonably be read. Moderation was not a trait I treasured or even tried to emulate. I thought it came with naturally with age, much like wrinkles or wisdom. Obviously, it doesn't and while I've earned wrinkles aplenty and gained a bit of wisdom in the process, I still go off on tangents. I've been able to channel food from the plate to my blog and devoted a rather large portion of what I read to assuring that plate is never empty or my blog bereft of words, but every so often something triggers a tangent that simply must run its course. I hold Marcella Hazan and Madhur Jaffrey completely responsible for my latest derailment. I needed just one recipe from each of them to reach a goal I'd set for myself, but research into their lives loosed the hounds of hell and I found myself testing far more recipes than I needed. I have a couple that I'd like to share with you this week. The first is a recipe for a soup from Madhur Jaffrey. I made it again tonight and my socks are still going up and down. I think you know me to be a truth teller, so, please believe me when I tell you this is ambrosia, pure and simple. The soup is really easy to make and if you like strongly flavored food I think you'll love it. You really must try this. The predominant flavor is that of red bell pepper, but a hint of ginger and cayenne warm it slightly and make it a perfect light summer soup. You can have this molten treasure on the table in less than an hour, and it can be made ahead of time. It would be a perfect first course for a more formal meal. Please, please, please give this one a try. You won't regret it. Here's the recipe.

Red Pepper Soup with Ginger and Fennel...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Madhur Jaffrey

Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet red bell peppers
4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium potato (about 4 ounces), peeled and chopped
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5-5 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
5-6 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:
Chop the peppers coarsely after discarding all the seeds. Pour the oil into a large, wide pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the peppers, onions, potatoes, ginger, fennel seeds, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne. Stir and fry until all the vegetables just start to brown. Add 2 cups of the stock and the salt. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Ladle the soup in batches into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended soup into a clean pot. Add the remaining stock, thinning the soup out as much as you like. Add the cream and mix it in. Adjust salt, as needed. Heat through before serving. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.