Tag: peppers

Hot Pepper Sauce

I had a conversation with Jennifer Halicki about what to do with those cute little jalapenos. My suggestion was to do a very simple pickle, just putting the jalapenos in a jar (with or without stems) and cover them with vinegar. Leave them for a week or forever, they’ll keep indefinitely as long as you keep topping up the vinegar. This was the old Southern standby for making hot pepper vinegar to season fall and winter greens like turnips, collards and mustard. And it works fine with jalapenos.

Then just the other day I opened an email from Import Food, a company on the west coast that imports primarily food from Thailand. They offered a little more complex version of this peppered vinegar idea. They were recommending the Thai chiles they sell, but it would be just as delicious with your jalapenos or leftover cayenne peppers.

In their words: “Spice up your food with this simple, homemade heat. The combination of sour vinegar with hot Thai chiles is a common condiment in Thailand (called “nam som”), but this goes along great with American food too–especially southern favorites like collard greens, fried chicken, green tomatoes, etc.”

Baked Chicken with Peppers

We’ll no doubt have peppers until frost, so here’s one more idea for what to do with them. Mix in a jalapeno or two if your household likes the heat. Did I mention that about 3 weeks ago I made cantaloupe-jalapeno preserves? I had seen a recipe for strawberry-jalapeno jam and I had this bowl of jalapenos just waiting for a use ….. turned out pretty well and I think we’ll be enjoying it on pork chops and tenderloin … chicken breasts …. grilled shrimp …. I can think of lots of uses.

Anyway, this chicken and pepper recipe came from Bertha’s Kitchen, a soul food restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s a reminder that a slow braise is a wonderful, fragrant thing.

Roasted Sweet Peppers

When I see a bouquet of peppers like those in this week’s box, I’m so excited. You can eat them fresh, sliced into salads or stuffed with rice and cheese or grilled alongside a few links of Riverview brats. But that’s not my plan for those peppers.
I’m going to roast them. It’s a matter of a few minutes to turn those peppers into an ingredient that will flavor our meals for many weeks to come.

Fall Squash and Pepper Soup

And fall boxes always include a variety of winter squash. Use your butternut or delicatas in this recipe adapted from a recipe by Steven Satterfield of Miller Union as demonstrated at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. You can use all the different peppers from this week’s box as well, but you’ll have to find your own hot pepper.

Chicken Cutlets with Bell Pepper Ragout

This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking magazine, one of my favorite sources.

PIckled Peppers

And Shirley Yarbrough reminded me this week of two simple ways to preserve the peppers in your box. There’s nothing easier. These ideas work for the banana peppers and jalapenos. Not for the bell peppers.

Moroccan Squash and Bell Pepper Salad

This is for those of you who still have some zucchini or yellow squash hanging out in the vegetable bin. Or, save the recipe for the next time we get squash in our box. Sorry that I don’t remember where the original recipe came from, but the dressing is delicious. You’ll find lots of ways to use it.

Ratatouille

This is James Beard’s recipe, adapted from his book, “Beard on Food.” You know – the James Beard of the James Beard Awards that our chefs are all so anxious to win every year?

This is a classic Provencal dish, perfect with grilled meat or fish or as a filling for an omelet or as dinner all by itself. The Beard folks note that in France it’s often presented as an appetizer with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Toss in one of those jalapenos if you like.

Sausage and Peppers

This idea from Seth Freedman of Forage & Flame, market chef for the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, is so simple it almost doesn’t need a recipe. But it’s a nice reminder of a classic combination.

Fried Okra with Spicy Red Pepper Sauce

Does everyone know how to roast peppers? A quick way for just a few peppers is to do them right on the burners of your stove (if your stove is gas, of course). Just crank up the burner and put the peppers right on the grate. Turn them (with tongs!) as they char and blister. When most of the pepper has blackened, drop it into a paper bag and close the top. The peppers will steam and when they’re cool enough to handle, you can easily remove the skins. And the bonus is that your house smells like roasting peppers – yum.

Don’t have any smoked paprika in the pantry? Well, get some. It’s an amazing seasoning. In the meantime, regular paprika will do, or just skip it for today. You can find it at most grocery stores.