Poivrons à la Grecque

Green bell peppers are (how do I put this?) kind of... unappetizing. Here in America, green bell peppers are part of a standard green salad, but other than that, I cannot think of anything else (off the top of my head) where we eat them. In Italy, green peppers are considered un-ripe, and are not used for anything until turning red. It is a similar situation in Spain. After living there, I can honestly say that red peppers are a standard (like Italy), and green... well... you kind of don't see them. Ever. They go in part of the flavor base of a paella, but it is strictly for the bitterness, nothing more. Red peppers (roasted in olive oil and served cold) were a popular beach-side tapa.

What to do with green bell peppers? For some reason we had bought some, and they just sat there in the fridge. Tonight, fed up with seeing our bizarre purchase on the shelf, I began to sift through our cookbooks on how to use them.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking is always a favorite "go-to" standard. The only downfall to any Julia Child recipe is that you need time. A precious item for a New Yorker. It is a Sunday, I had time, so let's embrace our inner Parisian, shall we? I was shocked to find a recipe in her Vegetable section for Green Bell Peppers! And would you believe ... it is vegan? Like Spain, the peppers are taken cold (or room-temperature). Julia recommends you enjoy them as part of a cold buffet. Um, sure! You simmer them (de-seeded and chopped) in an aromatic broth for 10 minutes. Following this, you remove the vegetable, and reduce the broth until it becomes a syrup-like consistency. I removed the liquid until I had about a 1/4 of a cup. Spoon this (cooled) over the peppers (also cooled). We popped open a bottle of White Bordeaux (Julia would have wanted that) and took her advice of having our Poivrons à la Grecque with a salad. We dressed a bowl of rocket greens with oil, vinegar, and Ile de France peppercorn-crusted goat cheese. Our Poivrons were served on the side, tossed with our syrup-ed reduction. Add a protein of your choice, a slice of crusty bread, and wow! You have a meal!

Serving Green Peppers this way was so delicious. I had no intention of buying them again, but if we do, I know how we are going to prepare them! Check out the recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking... Bon Appetit!

"Rice" with Spanish-style Peppers

Cauliflower "rice" is ferociously popular in low carb cookbooks, blogs, and recipes. It is a great alternative to real rice, a fantastic option for diabetics, and a way to add even more vegetables to your diet. Heck, you might even fool the kids into thinking it was real rice. So, why all the hype? It's delicious. Really. And seriously folks, you do not miss "the real thing". If done properly, it will make dieters jump for joy, and it could not be easier.

1. Chop 1 head of cauliflower in a food processor (raw, and cut into pieces). What you are looking for is a sand-like texture. Pulse until desired texture is achieved. 

2. Microwave for 4-5 minutes, covered. (Do not add water. Let nature do its trick. The moisture already present in the cauliflower is what steams it.)

3. Fluff with a fork. Add a touch of olive oil, or butter, and a pinch of salt. Yummers.

I wondered how this would transfer into a Spanish context. This recipe was extremely difficult, as we kept on having power outages, but the result was delightful, and you shockingly did not miss the "real" rice. The texture, Charlie pointed out, is closer to a couscous than a rice. Either way, it works.

I caramelized the following:

3 red peppers

1/2 onion

with …

Olive OIl

2 cloves garlic

Handful of chickpeas

…and deglazed the pan with some white wine and a touch of sherry.

Add some chopped olives, a hefty shake of smoked paprika, a dash of salt, and you are done. Serve alongside the cauliflower rice / couscous. 

Zumo con Gas

It is citrus season here in Spain, and the fruits are literally falling off the trees heavy with juice. At Paradiso, the frutería which I haunt weekly, there is a box that can be found at the entrance. This box is loaded with oranges on sale, mere euros for kilos upon kilos worth of citrus(many of which still have leaves connected to the tops. There are adorable).

My friend has a grapefruit tree (which I also haunt [almost] weekly) in his front yard. Between both sources, my tiny kitchen was packed full of citrus. On the first warm day last week, my friend and I juiced 10 fruits: 5 oranges, 2 lemons, 3 grapefruit. What better way to bring in the warm weather than fresh juice? Pump it up with some cool, sparkling water. (I use Vichy Catalan, a Spanish brand of sparking mineral water, or agua con gas. My flatmates call me addicted.)

Materials:
10 citrus fruits of your choice. Stick to one, or mix it up like we did!
1 1.5 L bottle of sparkling water
Sevral dashes of sugar or honey to cut the tang (if using bitter citrus)

Serves 4.

Method:
Juice your cirus. If using, add some of your sweeter of choice. Ratio is half/half: Pour juice into a tumbler and top off with sparkling water. Serve on ice, or use chilled sparkling water. I prefer the latter.