PEPPERS - BELL
Bell peppers are a staple on our farm. They are worth the wait, providing a bounty in the summer, and well into the winter because they freeze so well. When its pepper season, we use them in every meal; grilled, roasted on a fire, sautéed with onions and mushrooms in fajitas, cut into slices and dipped in hummus or baba ganoush, or just eat them like apples.
STORAGE: Even though most refrigerators are a few degrees colder than the ideal temperature for peppers, we find that these veggies stay crisper inside the fridge inside a closed container or plastic bag, rather than out on the counter.
PRESERVATION: To extend the harvest, cut and freeze or pickle with onions and fennel. We try not to overload our members with peppers, but if you find them piling up, we highly recommend taking a little time to cut and freeze them. We never blanch or do anything fancy with our frozen veggies - we simply don’t have time in the height of the summer and the veggies maintain their quality through the winter.
RECIPES:
Roasted Green Beans, Peppers, and Fennel
Green beans (flower end trimmed off, leave whole)
Fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
Red Pepper-any variety (sliced thinly into rounds and de-seeded)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large mixing bowl, toss all vegetables in a generous amount of olive oil. Lay on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice during roasting. Some of the beans will get nice and caramelized. This is great as a side, with a poached egg on top, over a salad, or over a bed of rice. You can also add a splash of soy sauce upon serving.
Shakshuka
1-2 Onions (Diced)
2-3 Peppers (Diced)
3-4 Tomatoes (Diced)
Eggs (However many you want)
2-3 T Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a saucepan, heat oil on medium. When the oil is hot, add onions and peppers and some salt. Sautee for a couple minutes, until peppers and onions just begin to soften. Add tomatoes. Reduce the sauce for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. When the liquid is reduced a bit, crack eggs into the sauce. The idea is to poach the eggs in the sauce. Cover the pan and increase heat to medium-high, and leave it alone until the eggs are cooked to your liking; runny yolk or hard yolk. Serve with a big slice of crusty bread or on a bed of rice.
Corn Flatbread with Caramelized Peppers
We made the flatbread from scratch, similar to how corn tortillas are made, but left them a little thicker for some texture, but you can use corn tortillas, wheat flatbreads, naan, or anything else.
Flatbread
2 c masa harina (corn flour)
1/2-2 c warm water
pinch of salt
2 pieces of parchment paper (10x10 ish)
Dinner plate
Mix all ingredients, adding water slowly. Dough should stick together and form a ball nicely without sticking too much. Let sit for 10-15 minutes with a damp towel on top. Roll into little balls (we made 8 with this recipe) and cover. Get a cast iron pan wicked hot with NO oil. Turn heat to medium once pan is hot all over. Meanwhile, roll out the balls to form the flatbreads. Take one piece of parchment paper and put it on the counter. Put the dough ball on the paper. Then take the other piece of paper and press it into the dough ball. Continue pressing with the dinner plate, so it is nice and round. We made our about 1/8 inch thick. Take the top piece of paper off the dough and take it over to the hot pan. The dough should come off the bottom piece of paper and into your hand or into the pan. It should only need a minute or so on each side and is ready when it browns a little. Repeat this process until all the breads are cooked. Keep in warm oven until served.
Caramelized Veggies - any veggies work! we know you all have peppers ;)
Peppers (cut into 1/4 in strips)
Onions (cut into 1/4 strips
Shallots (minced)
Garlic (minced)
Beans (trimmed)
Using the same pan for the flatbread, or a different one, caramelize those veggies up to your liking and top them on the flatbread. We put a little mustard sauce on top, but any salsa, creamy dressing, or even pesto would be great. For lunch, we took the leftovers to the next level and added an over easy egg on top.