Saturday, March 23, 2013

Stuffed Pepper Hors d'oeuvre




The Piccolo Gourmet returns to its roots and created something Euro-Mediterranean. 

Our CSA box this week was packed with goodies: Kale, Petite Sweet Peppers, and the list goes on! Because of this, we rapidly had to use up vegetables we bought earlier in the week. (As well as our fresh cheeses that only have a 3-4 day shelf life.) What to do?

The petite peppers reminded me of when I was living in Spain. A popular tapa we had was pimientos de padrón, which were char-blistered peppers brushed with olive oil and sea salt. I don't drink beer, but on the rare occasions that I did, this was a great paring. At my friend's house, we used to do a variation: We sliced pieces of manchego, stuffed the pepper, and then charred the peppers on his grill. 

Tonight, however, the cheeses we had on hand were French, not Spanish. But why not try a French variation on my original recipe? I made a quick mirepoix (how French, right?) of the carrots, celery, and shallot that were low on shelf life. To this, I added our reminder of fresh spinach to wilt. When this was all done, I chopped the mixture finely in a food processor. This was combined with the remainder of my Fromage Blanc to make a stuffing similar in looks to a New York bagel spread.

Put the de-seeded, stuffed peppers on a foiled cookie sheet. Drizzle lightly with some olive oil and flip to coat. Place this under your broiler for 10 minutes and let the blistering begin. Remove from the oven when the dark char-marks begin to form. Sprinkle with sea salt and let it rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Spanish tapa meets French hors d'oeuvre: Bon Appétit and Buen Provecho from the Piccolo Gourmet!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Wontons "Our Way"



We have become a regulars at Cowgirl Creamery, a local cheese shop here in Washington, DC. To say the word "love" would be an understatement. We adore that place—and the staff is friendly and helpful. Their "Fromage Blanc" is a beautiful cow's milk cheese that we have become enamored with. It is not an Italian ricotta cheese, nor is it an American cream cheese—however—the texture is a marriage of both. It is tangy, creamy, and versatile. This, in itself, would be a delicious wonton filling. 

Speaking of wontons, this is what we experimented again with tonight. Wonton wrappers are blank canvases. They can hold anything. We mixed our beloved Fromage Blanc with wilted spinach, sea salt, and caramelized onions.

Baked wontons are just as crispy as fried wontons. This is great for all you calorie-counters out there, and there is no messy frying oil. Your stuffed creation is bite-size, crispy, and a fun change-of-pace from your normal dinner. Just pre-heat your oven to 350F and bake your wontons for 15 minutes. If you make your filling the night before, dinner can be virtually effortless and ready in less than 30 minutes.

On a personal note, standing at your kitchen counter while stuffing (and folding) wontons is a very calming action. After an extremely busy day at the office, this was a surprising way to relax. I was exhausted when I arrived home and nearly ordered take-out.  I'm glad that we didn't. I was even more glad when I bit into that warm, crunchy wonton. What's our next wonton filling? Literally—food for thought.