peppers | Lemon and tomato

Gazpacho

June 13, 2016 by alessandra Leave a Comment

Quick Gazpacho

Here on the west coast we are in full summer heat and enjoying the bounty from the garden: fresh herbs and luscious vegetables just screaming… eat me, eat me So today on opening the fridge to grab a quick lunch it was obvious that I needed to choose something in the veggie department as I had purged all the cheese in an effort to fit into summer clothing. I usually have a selection of peppers as well as cucumbers and tomatoes and I wanted something quick as per usual I had waited until I was starving and about to gobble anything at hand – summer clothes be damned. So what do you make with just veggies? Seemed pretty obvious to me: Gazpacho. I had some great harissa oil from Olive the Senses to add just the right kick so we were off to the races and eating gazpacho in almost minutes.

6 medium ripe tomatoes

1 sweet pepper (yellow, red or orange) seeds removed and chopped

1 English cucumber chopped

½ medium red onion chopped

2 stalks celery

1-2 cloves garlic or several garlic scapes for a milder flavour

1 ½ tbsp. (or to taste) red wine, sherry or apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce or harissa or hot pepper olive oil

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Peel the English cucumber and if you don’t like the seeds, scoop them out with a spoon. I like the texture so tend to leave them in. Chop the other ingredients so that they will be small enough in the food processor. Add all the ingredients into the food processor and blend until the consistency is to your liking. I prefer to let individuals add their own salt but feel free to salt to taste. Refrigerate for several hours to let flavours meld or eat immediately.

Gazpacho is one of those summer dishes that is bright, refreshing and can be tarted up with just a few extra ingredients so that it meets whatever flavour craving you are having. I often switch between herbs such as tarragon, basil, chives and summer savory but you could also add cilantro or any other herb that you would normally use with tomatoes. Enjoy!

Chanterelle and Spinach Soup

October 26, 2014 by alessandra 3 Comments

Fall has set in here in Victoria and this morning brought black sky and a torrential downpour. I turned to my husband Gerry and wished him a great time on the water (with a sly smile on my face, as I had not accepted the invitation to race). He was heading off to sail in some of the nastiest wet I have seen in 6 months. Even worse there was no wind! No wind and heavy rain is akin to sitting on a park bench in the middle of winter. Anyhow, as he was off and I am leaving town tomorrow, I decided that I should deal with some of the great ingredients in the fridge – that would still be there at the end of the week when I return, albeit looking somewhat worse for the wear as he’s not big on opening the fridge door and cooking from within. Marriage works best when I don’t return to a fridge that is on the verge of displaying questionable items that no longer resemble food.

Taking stock of the fridge there was a basket of chanterelles, a box of baby spinach and peppers. What do you eat for lunch on a cold day? Nothing like a bowl of hot soup to ward off the winter bugs and cold, which in our 1912 house is important as the drafts seep into almost every room or so it seems. My parents now know to visit armed with bags of fleece clothing as the house will never be warm enough for them. As they are currently visiting, the least that I could do was to make a hot lunch.

1 tbsp olive oil
250 grams/8 0z of chanterelle mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 package of baby spinach about 100 grams or 2 handfuls
4-6 cloves of roasted garlic
1/2 medium yellow or red pepper diced or finely sliced (however the mood moves you)
1 Litre/4 cups of homemade chicken stock or your favourite organic chicken stock from the grocer
200 grams/3/4 cup of capelline spezzati 58A or and other fine noodle
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili pepper flakes to taste

Heat pan with the olive oil and then sauté the mushrooms until they are nicely wilted. Stir in the white wine and cook until reduced. Then layer first the peppers and then the spinach in the same pan allowing them to slightly heat.
Meanwhile heat the chicken broth and once it is boiling add the noodles to the broth. Add pepper and salt to taste. Cook until the noodles are al dente about 3 minutes.

Serve by placing the mushrooms, peppers and spinach in bowls. Pour hot noodle mixture overtop and sprinkle with chilis. Best served with a warm crusty bread.

Thetis Island Panzanella

September 18, 2014 by alessandra Leave a Comment

Eating on a sailboat without refrigeration can provide its challenges but doesn’t have to mean that all you eat is hardtack. Things invariably ripen faster (read go shrivelled and mouldy) or go harder such as bread. Our last stop in Ganges on Saltspring island produced a beautiful rustic rosemary bread. The first 2 slices made a great sandwich but 2 days later, the loaf had morphed into a petanque ball. Not wanting to waste it, I rememberered once having tasted an italian bread salad. What could be better than using my stash of basil, mixed with tomatoes, leftover roasted garlic and peppers with the bread on a hot muggy and somewhat rainy day? Easier than BBQ in the rain for sure.

Cutting the bread was going to be the main hurdle. Gerry, my husband offered to get out the hack saw but better judgement prevailed and he wielded our chef’s knife with skill and hacked it into cubes of about an inch. A quick search of the net with my phone showed me that I was on the right track when I found Ina Garten’s Panzanella

. Adapting here and there with what I had in the icebox (and I do mean icebox as we have no refrigeration) I created a salad that I will be making again when faced with rock hard specimens of bread.

Main Ingredients

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small rustic bread (I used a rosemary and garlic whole wheat loaf) cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon granular sea salt or kosher
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 english cucumber, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion,and very thinly sliced
25 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1 head roasted garlic
3 roasted peppers
10 – 15 Black olive
1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Vinaigrette:

1 tbsp tarragon Dijon mustard ( if you only have plain Dijon it works, but you might want to add some fresh tarragon)
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste (lemon pepper also picks up the flavour)

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, garlic, feta and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. This salad can be served immediately, but I prefer to let it sit for about half an hour to allow the flavours to blend.