Harissa

A middle eastern spread of red peppers - it's an excellent spread on pita bread, or a accompaniment to roast meat

• 3 large red bell peppers
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 red jalapeños or Fresno chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Roast peppers in broiler or directly over gas flame, turning occasionally, until charred all over. Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Stem, peel, and seed peppers; coarsely chop. 
• Place peppers, next 4 ingredients, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor. Purée until very smooth. With machine running, gradually add oil. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
•  

Stuffed Peppers

1 lb ground beef
2 c cooked rice
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tomatoes, chopped
Herbs and spices of your choosing - basil, oregano, thyme are great candidates
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 c grated cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
4-6 Bell peppers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Brown the beef over medium heat. Scoop out of the pan and set aside. In the same pan, without wiping out the beef fat, sautee the onions, carrots, celery and garlic until just softened. Add the cooked beef and rice to the pan and cook until everything is well heated. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly reduced. Season with herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. 

Meanwhile, cut the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds and ribs. Stuff the peppers with the beef mixture and top with some of the cheese. Place the stuffed peppers in a baking pan that will just hold them all.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the peppers have softened and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve immediately and/or freeze for winter.

Variation: Substitute the beef for lamb, the cheddar or Monty for feta and use basil and mint for the herbs for a middle eastern twist on the dish.
 

Baked Peppers for Summer Lunch

From Nigel Slater's Tender

2-4 Large Peppers
Small or Cherry Tomatoes, chopped
Olive OIl
Basil
Salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. And place into a roasting pan large enough to hold all the pepper halves. 

Place 1-2 basil leaves in each pepper. Then fill each pepper with chopped tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the peppers and tomatoes are soft and blistered, about 45 minutes. Serve with a fresh baguette.

Cauliflower and Potato Curry

4-6 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1 large can tomatoes
1 T coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1 1/2 T curry powder
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne Powder
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

In a heavy skillet over high heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant. Remove from the heat and grind. Set aside.

In a large pan or wok, heat some oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just begin to sweat. Add the peppers and toasted spices and cook until the peppers are just beginning to soften. Add the can of tomatoes, curry powder and potatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just tender. Add the cauliflower, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Add cayenne powder to your desired spice level. Stir in the cilantro and serve over rice. 

Ratatouille

Eggplant — cubed and sprinkled with salt
Zucchini — cubed and sprinkled with salt
Sweet Peppers — sliced
Sweet Onions — sliced
Tomatoes, chopped
5-6 Cloves of garlic, diced
Basil, coarsely chopped
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Rice or pasta
Parmesean cheese 

Start by preparing the vegetables. 

Heat 1T of olive oil in a stock pot. Cook garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and basil to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the tomatoes. 

Meanwhile, heat 2T olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add peppers and cook until just softened. Remove and set aside. If necessary, add more oil to the pan. Cook onions until just soft, set aside. 

Increase heat to high. Add 2 T oil to the pan. Cook zucchini until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add another 2 T oil to the pan and cook eggplant until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside. 

Add all the cooked vegetables to the simmering tomatoes. Simmer until the dish is desired consistency. Up to one hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice or pasta with plenty of grated parmesan cheese.