The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook - Kim O'Donnel [37]
With tongs, lift the cucumber mixture out of its marinade and transfer to the seasoned noodles; turn the mixture until well combined. Taste a noodle. Does it have good, well-balanced flavor? If not, ask yourself what the noodles need—salt, fat, or acid—and season accordingly and gradually.
Add the melon mixture to the noodles, and with salad hands or tongs, give the salad a good toss. Add the herbs and garnish with peanuts, if using.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Stuffed Bell Peppers ★ Romesco Toasts
STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
These beauties are decidedly unlike the ground beef-filled, army-green oddities that were all the rage in the ’70s. (Remember the canned tomato soup draped on top as the sauce?)
Instead, the peppers are sweet, sun-kissed shades of yellow, orange, and red, and the meat takes the day off without incident. At their peak in late summer and early fall, bell peppers make festive one-dish containers for a mix of seasonal veg and herbs, with nutty grains of quinoa doing a bang-up job as both starchy connector and protein-rich stand-in. What follows is a mere template for the filling; feel free to play and experiment with various flavor combinations, using the recipe as a guide.
P.S. The filling is outrageously delicious all by its lonesome, almost a meal unto itself.
In keeping with the bell pepper theme, the main dish is paired up with romesco sauce, an intoxicating roasted red pepper spread from Spain that is divine smeared on your favorite toast.
INGREDIENTS
Salt
½ cup red or white quinoa, rinsed
in a sieve, or rice, pearl barley,
or instant couscous
4 yellow, orange, or red bell
peppers, sliced in half
lengthwise, without removing
stems
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup red onion or shallots, diced
½ fresh chile pepper of choice,
seeded and minced (omit if
you want less heat)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
finely
1½ cups fresh (from 2 medium-
size ears) or frozen corn
kernels, or 1 (15-ounce) can
chickpeas, drained and rinsed
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil for the quinoa. (The water amounts will differ for other starch options; prepare according to package instructions.)
Add a pinch of salt, and then add the quinoa. Stir, then cover and simmer over low heat until the grains are tender and begin to look starry and luminescent, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Carefully remove the seeds and membranes of the peppers. In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a lively simmer (not a rolling boil). Add the pepper halves (submerge the peppers cut side first) and simmer until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, remove the peppers and drain any excess water. Transfer to a baking dish for later.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and chile pepper (if using), and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the garlic, corn, and greens, plus 2 tablespoons of water, and cook until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.
4 cups spinach, washed well,
stemmed, and roughly
chopped, or equal amounts of
chard or tender kale, stemmed
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro,
flat-leaf parsley, or basil
Salt and ground black pepper
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (or
queso fresco, ricotta, or goat
cheese—or no cheese at all)
½ lemon (optional finishing
touch)
Stir in the herbs and quinoa and mix everything together until well combined. Taste for salt and pepper, and season as you see fit.
Fill the peppers with the filling and dot with cheese (if using).
Drizzle the remaining oil over the peppers and bake for about 20 minutes.
Serve hot or at room temperature, squeezing the lemon over the top, if you wish.
Makes 4 servings
ROMESCO SAUCE
This almond, garlic, and roasted pepper-scented puree hails from Catalan, in