Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Piperade with homegrown sweet peppers

We still have sweet peppers in the potager and they are super sweet and colourful. This will probably be the last batch for this season. So I decided to make piperade which we love. I do it a bit different than the original way that comes from the southwest in France, particularly the Basque region. I make mine seperately in the oven and mix it all together at the last minute before serving. Its a bit less juicy and saucy and the flavors of all the ingredients harmonize without losing their individuality. We especially enjoy it on rustic toasted country bread for a lunch.

Piperade with homegrown peppers

Recipe:

  • 4 large pepper of different colours.
  • On large onion
  • A big handful of cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 4 cloves of garlic, cleaned and lightly squashed
  • salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh thyme
  • Raspberry flavoured balsamic vinegar
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degr C.
  2. Wash the peppers and slice into chunks, or thin slices if you prefer. Add to an oven pan with fresh thyme and drizzle liberally with olive oil.
  3. Clean the onion and cut into medium chunks. Add to another oven pan .
  4. Wash the cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes and slice in half. Add the tomatoes to the onion and add the cleaned and squashed garlic cloves.
  5. Roast the vegetables in the oven pans until tender and slithgly charred, for about 30 minutes. Take care not to burn the peppers. If youve sliced them thinly, they will roast quicker.
  6. Remove from the oven, mix the vegetables together, drizzle with more olive oil, season with salt and pepper and drizzle finally with some raspberry flavouredbalsamic vinegar.
  7. Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread or as a side with meat or fish.

Serves about 4 people as side dish

A pinch of salt:

  • Enjoy with slices of toasted whole wheat bread.
  • Serve as a side with fish or chicken.
  • Add tarragon instead of thyme if you serve it with chicken.
  • A full vegetarian meal.
  • For a meat version, add grilled sliced chorizo before serving.
  • If you slice the peppers into thin slices, they will roast quicker, about 20 minutes.
  • Add some piment d’espelette chilli peppers if you’d like it spicy.

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Orzo risotto with spinach

Orzo, also known as risoni, or in french, langue d’oseau is a form of pasta, shaped like a grain of rice. It is a staple in our house and everybody loves it, especially when we make it risotto style. We always prefer eating risotto on its own with a vegetable or a salad. I served this orzo risotto with a plain fresh tomato salad with sliced spring onions. It is what I had in the fridge…the tomatoes were not in the fridge though, never keep tomatoes in the fridge!

Recipe

  • I small onion
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 cup orzo
  • 2 cups of hot vegetable stock
  • 1 TBSP of butter
  • 1 TBSP of créme fraiche
  • 1 TBSP parmesan cheese
  • 2 large handfuls of washed and drained spinach leaves
  • freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Slice the onion finely and sauté in the olive oil until translucent.
  2. Add the orzo and sauté for a minute or two.
  3. Add a ladle of hot vegetable stock and simmer over medium heat until dissolved, while stirring all the time. Repeat the process until all the stock has been used or until the orzo has become al dente. Take care not to cook the orzo until dry, because with standing time it will become more dry and might then become sticky and clumpy. You want the risotto creamy and runny.
  4. Add the butter and créme fraiche when the risotto is still creamy and still has some liquid. Remove from the heat. See image below.
  5. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
  6. Add the spinach, a drizzle of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently.
  7. Serve on its own with some more grated parmesan cheese and a fresh tomato salad or serve with roasted chicken.

Serves 4

Pinch of salt

  • Use a large shallot instead of an onion.
  • Like with risotto, you can serve this with any vegetable you choose, steamed asparagus, roasted butternut for autumnflavor, plain with saffron, broccoli, or roasted sweet potato.
  • Add fresh herbs of your choice at the end of the cooking process.
  • Keep the risotto creamy by removing it from the heat until it is still runny and still has some liquid, or else it will become sticky and clumpy if you cook it until dry.
  • Serve the risotto as soon as possible. The longer it stands the drier it becomes.
  • Constantly stir the risotto to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
  • The cooking time is more or less about the same as for risotto, 20 minutes.

à bientôt

Ronell