Stuffed Bell Peppers (No Meat Version)

For the fasting Wednesdays and Fridays of fasting before this Easter of 2011, I've tried to treat my family to meals as good as I could, so they wouldn't miss animal products at all. So, I made a stuffed bell peppers recipe with no meat, only with a rice and mushroom based filling. They turned out very tasty.

INGREDIENTS (serves 5):

• 3-5 tablespoons olive oil;
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of round grain rice;
• 5 medium to big bell peppers (any color, I used light green);
• a can of sliced champignon mushrooms (~ 300 gr.);
• one medium zucchini;
• one large yellow onion (or two medium);
• salt, pepper, fresh parsley;

FOR THE SAUCE:

• a can of pealed whole or cubed tomatoes;
• 3-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
• 1 clove garlic;
• time, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, pepper (all or just the ones you like best).

HOW TO MAKE:

First it is best that you make the tomato sauce, to have it cool later when you put the peppers in the baking dish. It is pretty much the basic pasta or pizza sauce, with the spices that you like. I made mine in a pan with some olive oil, one minced garlic clove and a can of pealed tomatoes, that I crushed roughly with a wooden spoon directly in the pan. I let it simmer for about a quarter hour adding a little water so it wouldn't get too thick. I put in all of the herbs mentioned in the ingredients section, most of them dry, with the exception of the parsley.

Then you have to prepare your peppers. Just use a thin knife to cut off the tops and the seed veins while leaving them whole, like little jars of goodness. Put them aside and start on your filling.

The filling you also make in a pan, starting with some oil, on top of witch you throw the finely chopped onions. Stir them for a minute or two with salt to sweat good then throw in the mushrooms. It you use canned mushrooms (like I did) make sure that you drain them well first. Immediately throw in the zucchini, cut into small, half inch cubes.Stir everything in for a 5 minutes, then add the rice. Coat the rice with the oil for a minute and then add some water (or vegetable stock, if you have some), just to cover the contents of the pan. Bring to a simmering boil and cook until the rice grains are almost tender, "al dente" (you can feel the center if the grain still hard to the tooth). Season well with salt and pepper and set aside. The water must be almost evaporated completely by now.

Next you take a narrow spoon and carefully stuff the peppers with the filling from the pan, nearly to the top. You can cap them off with a slice of tomato. I didn't. Place the stuffed peppers in a tall baking dish up straight. Put them next to each other to keep them standing. Then poor the tomato sauce on top of the peppers. It must be a little runny, and it must cover at least 3/4 of the height of the peppers in order to cook them well in the oven.

Put the dish in the oven and bake on medium heat until the peppers get nice and brown on top (half an hour to an hour, depending on the oven). Serve them hot with a lot of sauce and fresh chopped parsley on top.

Champignon Mushrooms With Rice & Cherry Tomatoes

For reasons of laziness and lack of will, we decided to fast only on Wednesdays and Fridays for the coming Easter Holly days this year. Anyway, even so, we just couldn't eat only the easy to make boiled potatoes with some olive oil or plain rice or just bread with all kinds of nasty commercial spreads. 

So I had to engage in a little cooking on fasting days. That's how we ended up eating even better (not necessarily  healthier, but tastier altogether) on the days we fast. And everything in line with the restrictions of the christian orthodox faith, that means no products of animal origin.

Next I'll tell you about a meal so easy that you put it together in minutes.

INGREDIENTS (serves four):

FOR THE RICE

• 1 & 1/2 cups regular rice;
• a handful green olives;
• half a red bell pepper;
• 1 medium yellow onion;
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil;
• salt, pepper, ground cumin, time, 
• fresh parsley;
• water or vegetable stock;
• fresh chives to garnish.

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat up some vegetable oil in a thick bottomed pot and chop up the onion into fine bits. Sweat the onion with oil and salt until it becomes glassy (don't let it burn to a brown color, if possible), then add the red bell pepper sliced julien (thin long strips) and stir. Add the rice and stir some more (1, 2 minutes) then add the water or vegetable sock to cover well the rice. Let boil on low heat for as long as the rice needs to get soft. If necessary add more water. Add condiments: pepper, cumin, time. In the last 2 minutes add the green olives and as you turn off the heat add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. It's done when the rice is soft and the water is gone.

FOR THE MUSHROOMS:

• 5-6 medium to large champignon mushrooms;
• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil;
• 1 clove garlic;
• 2-3 twigs with cherry tomatoes on;
• salt & pepper.

HOW TO MAKE:

In a thick skillet, heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. While oil temperature isn't yet very high, crush a garlic clove, chop it fine and throw it into the skillet. Make sure it doesn't burn. Next chop the champignons into quarters (or thick slices, if you like them better that way) and throw them in. Sote for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper. They will absorb most of the garlic infused oil, but than they will leak water and make a very good sauce. When the mushroom bits are soft (not very soft) and browned a little, get them out of the skillet and into the plate next to the rice. 

For maximum effect get the cherry tomatoes and let them fry in the same skillet on high heat for a few minutes, until they become soft and glossy and coated with the garlic and mushroom oil. Salt and pepper!  Serve them on the side in each plate and I guarantee they're not only for decoration! 

On top of the whole plate sprinkle some freshly chopped chives. Enjoy!

Osso Buco Milanese

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-5 tablespoons olive oil (can use lard or fat rendered from ham); 
• 3 cross cut veal shanks (bone included);
• 2 medium onions;
• 2-3 cloves garlic;
• 1 can pealed tomatoes;
• 50 gr. tomato paste;
• 1-2 medium carrots;
• 1/2 celery root;
• 1 parsnip;
• 1/2 red bell pepper;
• parsley, time, sage (preferably fresh);
• 500 ml red wine (drinkable, dry);
• 1-2 bay leaves;
• salt & pepper.

FOR RISOTTO: 2 cups round grain rice, 1 onion, stock, Parmesan cheese, butter, olive oil, s & p.

HOW TO COOK:

First brown the (well seasoned with salt and pepper) veal shanks in olive oil or pork fat in a Dutch oven type pot, on both cross cut sections. Some people cover the meat in a layer of white flour first. It works just fine without.

Take out the meat and chop up the onions and garlic, then throw them in the same pot to sweat and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Stir well, and after 5 mins. put in the tomato paste and stir another 5 mins. Poor in 300 ml of wine. Drink a glass yourself.  Put the shanks back into the pot and poor stock or water in until it just about covers the meat. Add the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and let simmer for an hour.

Add the carrots, celery root, parsnip, red pepper sliced, parsley, time, sage, bay leaves. Add another 200 ml wine. Add more water if the fluids in the pot have reduced under the level of the meat. Simmer for another 2 hours. After that extract from the pot the celery root, parsnip, bay leaves and throw them away.

If the stew has turned into a nice smelling thick sauce, the meat falls of the bone and tears easily  when you try it with a fork, than it is ready.

Serve with any carbs you like (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, polenta etc.) I served it on some milanese risotto, made with the ingredients shown above. It was sensational. Enjoy!

Plain Chicken Rice Pilaf

This recipe is just a dish that you pop on relatively quickly when you (for example) have run out of ideas of what to cook for the family or when you just feel the need to have a good hardy rice meal.

"Pilaf" is a Turkish word for a rice dish with meat. It can be cooked on the top of the stove or with a finish in the oven. It can be cooked with some fatty bits of meat or with lean cuts, with just a little oil to start. Of course, the fat makes for a altogether more savory dish. Anyway, here it is:
 

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

• 2 tbspoons vegetable oil;
• 1 1/2 cups white round rice;
• 1 medium or large onion;
• half a chicken cut into parts, include dark meat;
• chicken stock to cover (can use plain water);
• salt & pepper to taste;
• a pinch ground cumin.

HOW TO COOK:

Chop up the onion into small bits and sweat it in the vegetable oil in a thick walled cooking pot (cast iron or aluminum work best). When the onion bits are glossy put in the chicken bits and let them fry for a few minutes in the oil too. After aprox 5 minutes poor in the stock (or water) to cover everything. Bring to a boil, skim of the meat foam that forms on the top. Let boil on low heat for aprox another 25 - 30 mins. Now add the rice and stir frequently so it doesn't stick to the bottom for the first 3 mins. Boil the rice and chicken until the water reduces and the rice has cooked (is soft to the tooth), about 15 - 20 mins. Add salt, pepper, cumin, other spices to taste. Stir every 3 minutes. When the water is gone and the rice is soft you are done.

Some people like to put the pilaf in the oven, uncovered for the last 15 mins for a nice finish.

I served it with a side of red pepper pickles. Enjoy!
 

Jacob's Creek Shiraz Roze 2009

Fruity! That is the defining word: fruity! It is a light and thin roze for lazy afternoons and warm summer evenings with friends over a very light dinner of sea food or even desert.

Light in color but not bland, with hints of strawberry, cherry, some spices. A slight note of sweetness, but just enough as not to get you discouraged after the first glass. 

Strong recommendation for women. Goes well for men, too. Do not mach it with game or dishes with sausage or heavy sauces. Works with fruit and maybe a cheese platter. Also goes with fish and blue cheese dressing salads.

I personally had a glass with a plate of chicken rice pilaf garnished with lots of chilly pepper. Went very well.