Sweet Poppers Marinara

Have you ever wondered what to make for dinner? I would ask my family what they wanted and they would invariably answer “we don’t care, make anything”. In the US we are used to going to the supermarket and shopping for several days at a time. In Europe however, they go to the market daily and buy whatever is fresh and available. Well, the other day I was trying to decide on some vegetables and spotted a bag of mini sweet bell peppers and decided to get creative. I ended up creating a stuffing that was a cross between a meatball and a stuffed pepper. We had a friend over for dinner that night and she said that she could not stop eating them. You can serve them as mini appetizers, at a buffet, or as the entrée at dinner. The best thing about them is that you can make them ahead of time and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.

 

Makes 24-30 Poppers

½ lb 90% Ground Beef

¼ lb Shredded Fontina Cheese *

1/8 C Grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese

1/8 C Italian Flavored Bread Crumbs

1 ½ tsp Chopped Fresh Basil *

1 TBS Chopped Fresh Parsley *

1/8 tsp Table Salt

½ tsp Ground Black Pepper

Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper

1 lg Egg

1 lb Sweet Mini Peppers

1 ½ C Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl mix the ground beef through the egg until uniform.

Trim the top off of each pepper and clean out any ribs or seeds from the peppers. Using your hands stuff each mini bell pepper with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed peppers in a large baking dish, coated with cooking spray, in a single layer. Pour the marinara over the tops of the peppers, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes or until the peppers are cooked.

* Pronto Substitutes

 

Fontina – Substitute mozzarella for the Fontina.

Fresh Basil – Use ½ tsp dried basil in place of the fresh basil.

Fresh Parsley – Use 1 tsp of dried parsley in place of the fresh parsley

Mini Sweet Bell Peppers

Mini sweet bell peppers were developed through selective plant breeding. The small, “thumb-sized” bell peppers are sweet, mild-flavored and virtually seedless. They are sold in a trio of red, yellow and orange colors and hold texture well after being cooked.

To print this recipe, go to Sweet Poppers Marinara.

Strawberries & Cream Sherbet

I love ice cream and sherbet but I've struggled with making a good homemade version that is complex, rich and creamy. I recently read about a few tricks that helped me make the type of ice cream and sherbet that you normally had to go out for to enjoy. I combined a family recipe for strawberries and sour cream with a shot of balsamic vinegar for complexity to yield an out of this world dessert that brings out the flavor of the strawberry.

Makes 1 Quart of Sherbet

Ingredients

1 lb Fresh Strawberries

1 TBS Water

1 TBS Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar

Pinch Table Salt

½ tsp Instant Pectin for No-Cook Freezer Jam*

1 ½ C Sour Cream*

1 C Granulated Sugar

Prepare your ice cream maker. If you have an Ice cream maker which requires you to freeze the bowl, place it in the freezer for at least 24 hours, preferably 48 hours prior to making your sherbet. If you have a refrigerated ice cream maker turn it on 10 minutes before adding the sherbet base.

In a small pot, heat the tablespoon of water and the tablespoon of balsamic vinegar just until it starts to simmer. Add the pectin and salt and stir continuously until the pectin dissolves. The pectin will help prevent the formation of large ice crystals, helping you make a creamy sherbet. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes. Hull and wash the strawberries.

Place the strawberries in a food processor with the cooled vinegar mix and 1 ½ cup of granulated sugar. Process until smooth. Add 1 cup of sour cream and pulse 5 times, just until the sour cream is incorporated. Taste for sugar. Depending on how sweet the strawberries are you will have to add additional sugar to suite your taste. Place the bowl of sherbet base into the freezer for 15 minutes to thoroughly chill.

Place 1 cup of the sherbet base into the bowl of the ice cream maker and run for 10 minutes or until the sherbet thickens. Place the remainder of the sherbet base back into the refrigerator. The faster sherbet freezes the smoother and creamier it will be. By freezing only 1 cup of the sherbet base you are forming ice crystals that will catalyze the freezing of the remainder of the sherbet base.

Once the first cup of sherbet base had thickened pour in the remainder of the base and process in the ice cream maker for 20 minutes. Do not process any longer or it will start to form larger ice crystals. Place in a closed container for 12 to 24 hours in the freezer before serving.

* Pronto Substitutes

Pectin – Do NOT substitute regular pectin, it will not work in this recipe.

Sour Cream – Do NOT substitute low fat or no fat sour cream. You can substitute Greek Yogurt.

To print this recipe, go to Strawberry & Cream Sherbet

Fried Spring Rolls with Mozzarella and Proscuitto

The inspiration for this meal came from a recent meal at a local Thai restaurant that served some excellent fried spring rolls. While eating them I started to wonder what else can you fill spring rolls with? After all they are merely crispy delivery vehicles for a savory filling. What I decided to try was mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto. Just imagine a crispy spring roll loaded with salty prosciutto and melted mozzarella!

Makes 14 Spring Rolls

Ingredients

16 oz pkg Mozzarella (room temp) *

4 oz Proscuitto (sliced thin)

1 pkg Spring Roll Wrappers (thawed if frozen)

Canola Oil for Deep Frying

Cut the mozzarella into ½” x ¾” strips. Wrap each piece of mozzarella in a slice of proscuitto.

Fill a shallow baking tray with hot water and place a spring roll wrapper in the water until it is soft and pliable (about 15-20 seconds). Carefully remove the wrapper and place it on a clean work surface. Place one piece of proscuitto wrapped mozzarella 2” from the top of the spring roll wrapper. Fold the top of the wrapper over the mozzarella, then fold in the sides (see photo) covering the mozzarella completely. Roll the wrapper towards you eliminating as much air as possible to form a tight roll. Continue until you have wrapped all the 

mozzarella. Dry the outside of the spring rolls with a paper towel before frying

Heat oil in a deep fryer until hot (365°F). Using tongs, place the spring rolls in the hot oil, allowing them to fry about 1 minute on each side until they turn light to medium golden-brown. Place them on paper towels (or a clean dish towel) to drain while you finish frying the rest. Place them in a preheated 200°F oven to keep them hot until you serve them. Serve hot.

If you like spring rolls but are not a fan of frying, place some fresh parsley with the mozzarella and proscuitto and skip the frying.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Mozzarella – Do not use fresh mozzarella for this recipe, it’s too wet. You can use low fat or whole milk version of the mozzarella found in the dairy case.

To print this recipe, go to Fried Spring Rolls with Mozzarella and Prosciutto