Serves 4 I’m not sure why this idea seemed so strange to me. West Africans love greens with peanut butter (they call them groundnuts), and I should have never doubted them. The earthy peanuts stand up to the mighty bitter spinach. It balances out nicely with the sweet peppers, but spicy would work wonderfully as well. If you can pick up the spinach and onions from your farmer’s market, I highly recommend it. The fresh flavors will crunch and zip and smile inside your mouth. Ingredients: peanut oil (or regular) 3 green onions, sliced 1 lb fresh spinach 1 red bell pepper 1/4 cup natural peanut butter 1/2 cup water salt pepper or cayenne Method: I was just so happy the farmer’s market opened up for business the same day we cooked The Gambia. Look at these green onions and the healthy, sultry spinach. That’s right. I said sultry. Cook the pepper in hot peanut oil (or vegetable oil if you don’t have any) Add in peanut butter and water. Stir to combine into a …
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Serves 4 When I was little, mom made ratatouille all the time. We ate it hot in the winter and cold in the summer, but always with loads of garlic. She’s half Italian, half Hungarian so – naturally – I figured ratatouille was a dish from our own, personal heritage.Later, when I moved to France, ratatouille turned up everywhere. Who knew? Ratatouille is French, French, French. Most popular in the south of France, around Nice (one of the hotspots for rich and famous folk, on the French Riviera), ratatouille means “to toss food together.” They key to great flavor is browning the veggies. With summer on the horizon, I dream about grilling each ingredient and tossing together into a ratatouille inspired salad. Ingredients: 1/3-1/4 cup olive oil (as desired) 1 large onion, sliced 1 red bell pepper, cut in 1″ pieces 1 yellow bell pepper, cut in 1″pieces 6 cloves garlic, sliced 1 1/2 lbs zucchini, sliced into rounds 1 small eggplant – about 1 1/2 pounds – cubed 4 roma tomatoes, chopped 1/4 tsp chopped fresh …
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Makes about 5 cups Are you haggard in the kitchen? Overwhelmed at the thought of cutting up a bunch of fresh vegetables on a week night, but aware that – if you don’t – dinner is going to be b.l.a.n.d.? Dominican Sofrito (also known as Sazon) is your answer. Make a batch once or twice a week and you’ll have a great, healthy seasoning base that will amp up any dish. NOTE: In the Dominican Republic, sofrito can be made any number of ways. At the lovely web site Dominican Cooking you will find three examples that are completely different from each other (one even has radishes in it!). The moral? No Sofrito is better than your sofrito – make it the way you like it! Here’s the way I did it… Ingredients: 1 green pepper, cut in large chunks 1 red pepper, cut in large chunks 1 red onion, cut in large chunks 3 green onions, sliced 2 tomatillo, quartered 2 roma tomatoes, quartered 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped 1/2 bunch parsley, roughly chopped …
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Serves 4-6 Kyopolou melds roasted, sweet peppers, eggplant, and ripe tomatoes to make a dipping sensation. Serve with pita bread or alongside white fish. Be sure to prepare a day ahead (or at least several hours) so that the flavors can properly distribute. Otherwise the garlic will be too sharp and bitter. If you simply must serve this dish right away, use less garlic. Ingredients: 3 eggplants 4 red bell peppers 3 tomatoes (I used roma) 2-5 cloves garlic fresh parsley, to taste 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar olive oil, as needed salt pepper Method: 1. Rinse and poke holes in the eggplant. This prevents unsightly explosions. 2. Roast eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes on a medium-low grill for about an hour, flipping once. You may also cook them at 350F in a conventional oven. NOTE: For a mellow garlic flavor, you may roast the cloves. Wrap in foil and remove when soft and sweet – about 30 minutes. Everything will get all wrinkly and charred. I know what you’re thinking. Looks like “ew.” I promise …
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Serves 8 This colorful salad reminds me of tabouli. The orange hue comes from the pureed tomatoes. Serve at room temperature with grilled chicken or lamb. Ingredients: 1, 15 ounce can diced plum tomatoes 1/2 cup olive oil 2 cups chopped onion 2 cups bulgur 1/4 cup lemon juice salt pepper 1 small jalapeno, minced 1 large red bell pepper, diced 1 large red onion, diced 8 scallions, sliced 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley 1-2 cups very hot water (add as needed) Method: 1. Saute onions in oil over medium heat until golden. Add tomatoes and liquid and bring to a boil. Puree. 2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and let stand for 45 minutes, until the liquid is completely absorbed. 3. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature. Armenian Bulgur Pilaf Salad | Itch Votes: 3 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe This colorful salad reminds me of tabouli. The orange hue comes from the pureed tomatoes. Serve at room …
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