Feb 16

Bite-sized mini stuffed peppers

There seems to be a glut of mini peppers in the supermarkets at the moment, and they are very reasonably priced, which I why I bought them. I can never turn down a bargain. I bought them without thinking of how I was going to use them, so pretty much made it up as I went along.

Mini PeppersI made a simple ground beef chilli, stuffed it into the peppers, topped them off with some cheese and wrapped some bacon around them. Everything is better with bacon. Simple, tasty finger food.

Ingredients for the chilli

  • 1lb of ground sirloin
  • 1 small can of tomato purée
  • handful of cilantro (coriander)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 small onion very finely diced
  • 1 tsp of ground chipotle
  • 1 tsp of ground garlic
  • 2 tsp of ground cumin
  • 2 tsp of ground coriander
  • 0.5 pints of chicken stock
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

First I sweated the onions and garlic in a little left over bacon fat, then browned the meat. I then added the spices, tomato purée, cilantro and chicken stock, brought it to a boil and then left to simmer for about an hour, while reducing the liquid.

Once the chilli was cool, I stuffed it into each small pepper and wrapped some bacon around them, stacked them into a greased cake tin and then topped them with shredded cheese. I cooked them in a 430F (220C) oven for about 45 minutes.

They are great just to eat by themselves, but would also be great with a chipotle sour cream dip.

Feb 16

Roasted Green Chile Turkey Stew

Every now and then there is a meal that you discover or create that becomes a standing fixture in your “toolbox” of go to meals that you not only enjoy preparing, but enter the pantheon of personal comfort foods. My rendition of green chile stew using Cookwell & Company Green Chile Stew is one of those go to meals that is not only easy to prepare but is consistently good.

Roasted Green Chile Turkey Stew

Roasted Green Chile Turkey Stew

As with most prepared ingredients that are part of a larger dish, the company providing the ingredient is smart enough to provide some suggestions and recipes on how to use their product.

It did not take that much time to define the final list of ingredients that are added to the base stew to doctor the dish to a flavor profile that I enjoy. As with any meal, there are some ingredients that are personal decisions and can be removed or added to create your version of this meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 33 Oz. Jar of Cookwell & Company Green Chile Stew
  • 1 1/2 Lbs of Ground Turkey
  • 3 Poblanos seeded and diced (nominal seeding, not removing the ribbing / placenta increases the kick factor)
  • 3 Jalapenos seeded and diced (nominal seeding, not removing the ribbing / placenta increases the kick factor)
  • 1 Yellow / While Onion diced
  • 1 Can of Corn (drained)
  • 1 Can of Northern White Beans (drained) (Cannellini beans) – any white bean would be fine
  • Salt & Black Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
  • Shredded Cheese (Cheddar or a Mexican Queso) – optional
  • Saltine Crackers – optional

Instructions:

  1. In a large pot on Medium add Olive Oil.
  2. Once hot, add the Onions, Poblanos and Jalapenos, Salt (optional) saute until tender.
  3. Add the Ground Turkey, breaking up the loaf and thoroughly mixing all of the ingredients together. Completely cook the meat. This should take a few minutes.
  4. Pour in the jar of Green Chili Stew.
  5. Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients, allow the mixture to come to a boil.
  6. Reduce the heat to a simmer, adding in the corn and beans. Gently mix all of the ingredients together.
  7. Allow the ingredients to simmer for at least 20 minutes, longer is better for combining all of the flavor. In the end, the most important thing is serving the dish at your preferred consistency.
  8. Add cheese to top and serve.

Total Preparation & Cook Time: About 45 Minutes

Serves: 4 Large Bowls

 

Feb 15

Mini Toad in the Hole

Toad in the hole is a British dish, which though the name implies does not contain Toads. Instead it is a dish consisting of Yorkshire Pudding batter cooked with sausages. How the dish got its name is not know, but the ‘toad’ is most likely the sausage, but there are records of other meats being used and there are rumours of it also being called ‘frog in the hole’.

Mini Toad in the HoleThis recipe is for individual, bite sized Toad in the hole, perfect for finger food at parties and can be eaten hot or cold.

 Ingredients

  • 3oz (75g) plain flour
  • 3 fl oz (75ml) semi-skimmed milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 fl oz (55ml) water
  • small cooked sausages
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable Oil

 

Method

First sieve the flour into a large bowl, ensuring you get a lot of air into it as it falls. Make a well in the centre of the flour and crack the egg into it with the salt and pepper. Using an electric hand whisk, slowly start to whisk the egg into the flour. Then add the water and milk gradually to the flour/egg mixture and whisk until a smooth batter has been achieved. Add a spot of vegetable oil to each hole in a muffin tray, ensuring the sides are coated and place into a 425F (220C) oven for 10 minutes. Once the tray is hot, remove from the oven and ladle batter into each hole and then place a sausage (or part of one) into the batter. Return to the oven for approx 25mins or until puffed and slightly brown.

Feb 15

Free Food – Re-growing your onions

I don’t know why it hasn’t occurred to me before, that green onions (also known as spring onions, green shallots, onion sticks, scallions, long onions, salad onions, syboes, baby onions, precious onions, or yard onions) are just like any other bulb that you would plant in the garden. And similarly they re-grow each year. I read about someone re-growing their green onions after using them in cooking and a I had ‘mind-blown’ moment when it became so obvious.

Re-growing green onions

Re-growing green onions

The technique is pretty simple. Take your green onions,  cut off the green stalks from the bulb leaving about an inch of the bulb. Put the bulbs in a small glass with just enough water to cover the bottom of the bulb. Leave somewhere sunny for about 10 days, changing the water regularly. Cut off the green shoots and repeat. Note, if you don’t change the water every couple of days they will start to stink.

Voilà! free food. Obviously you will need a few glasses running at a time to ensure a plentiful supply for the kitchen.

Free Spring Onions

10 days later – Free Spring Onions

You can repeat this process using water for about 3 times, however each time the growth will be less because the plant isn’t getting any nutrients from the water to be able to add to the growth. As an experiment or in Winter it’s fine, but once Spring arrives you should plant the onion bulbs in compost. Either in a small pot or in the vegetable bed, making sure that there is fresh compost, plenty of light and water regularly. For even better results give the onions some liquid feed every couple of weeks and you’ll be rewarded with a bigger harvest.

Potting green onions for a better harvest

Potting green onions for a better harvest

 

Harvesting Green Onions Sprouts

Harvesting Green Onions Sprouts

You can regrow many store bought vegetables such as garlic, celery, leeks, ginger, lemongrass, fennel, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pineapple, various types of lettuce & cabbage such as Romaine, bok choy & chicory, herbs such as basil, mint & cilantro (fresh coriander), carrot greens, tomatoes, chillies & peppers, pumpkins & squash and even mushrooms. The list is endless and will require a lot more posts to describe each of the methods.

Feb 15

Green Chile Stew – Cookwell & Company

I openly admit that one some level I am a hypocrite for using a prepared “sauce / stew / gravy” to make a meal after the years of exaggerated horror and dismay when friends and even family have pulled out a jar of spaghetti sauce to serve with their pasta.

In my defence, there are several reasons why I have come to depend and even relish using this lovely prepared concoction from Cookwell & Company. 1) Hatch Chiles are only available for purchase once a year. 2) If you have ever attempted to roast  pepper in large quantities, it can become a massive undertaking. I cannot even begin to calculate how many chiles I would have to purchase to cover the number of meals that this product is utilized throughout the year. 3) Sometimes it is okay to be a little lazy and admit that a food processing company may just prepare a critical element to a meal better then you can possibly attempt.

Regardless of my justifications, the product is exceptional and has a welcomed place in my pantry with a few jars always available.