Red Pepper Soup

I am not a huge fan of bell peppers, and yet, every now and then I enjoy a recipe that includes them as the main ingredient. This soup was no exception, and is perfect for the summer months as it tastes great cold.

Red Pepper Soup
6 red bell peppers
salt
pepper
olive oil
1 medium sized onion
red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
thyme
1 cup chicken broth

Slice the onion into small pieces, and cook in a large pan with olive oil (about 3 tbs) and 2 garlic cloves. While the onion is cooking, cut the bell peppers into one inch cubes. After about 10 minutes add the bell peppers to the pan with the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Add the chicken broth and cook for 30 minutes until the peppers are soft. Use a blender to mix the soup into one consistency. Eat either hot or cold---I prefer cold for summer. For cold soup, put in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Serve with a bit of parmesan, american cheese, or sour cream on top.

I will be traveling in Italy for the next 10 days, and probably not doing too much cooking. However, I will update with some of the wonderful items that D's mother makes!

Scalloped Tomatoes

And yet, another recipe stolen from Smitten Kitchen. This has really been the smitten kitchen, week, with D gone, I have been left to my own devices, scrambling to make simple meals for one. This was definately a favorite and will be repeated.

Scalloped Tomatoes
2 large tomatoes
1/4 french baguette, cubed
1/2 onion
garlic powder
salt
parmesan cheese
olive oil

Slice the onion and begin cooking with some olive oil in a pan on the stove. Add tomatoes and bread cubes and cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt and garlic powder to taste (1/4 teaspoon of each, possibly) and cook for about 5-10 more minutes. Place the entire mixture in an oven-proof dish and then top with lots of grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Next Tuesday I leave for Italy for 9 days. I still have a few things to catch up on here, and will add those while I'm in Italy---but I may also have some authentic Italian recipes to update with!

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Yet another recipe stolen from smitten kitchen. And also, the first time I prepare a dessert. For some reason, I was in the mood for something sweet and fruity, and this was a perfect pair with the goat cheese pizza we were also preparing.

For the topping, stir together 1 cup white flour, 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 1/4 tablespoon salt, 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup buttermilk. Stir until it becomes a wet, sticky dough.

For the filling, slice four peaches and pour in a bowl with a pint of blueberries. Mix with 2/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Pour filling in oven-proof dish and cover with topping. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, let cool, and eat.

Goat Cheese and Summer Squash Pizza

Admittedly, I did not invent this recipe myself. In fact, I did not even modify this recipe enough to truly call it mine. I stole it from Smitten Kitchen, another foodie photo blog that I adore. The writer does the same thing I do, but much better than I do and at a much more professional status. Hopefully she does not mind that I am re-posting here with my own photos.

In order to celebrate the night before D left for Italy, we cooked two of her fancy recipes. Dinner and dessert! This recipe will feature the goat cheese and summer squash pizza and later this week you will see what kind of dessert we fixed. We paired both with a white wine.

For the crust, mix 1.5 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 tablespoon active-dry yeast. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 cup warm water, mix into a dough. Knead, cover, and let rise for about 2 hours before rolling it out as a dough.

After the dough has risen, roll it out into a thin pizza crust. Mix together 4 oz of goat cheese with juice from 1/2 of a lemon, add salt and pepper, and spread over pizza crust. Slice zucchini and summer squash and top the pizza. We also added sun dried tomatoes to the pizza. Finally, top the pizza with the rest of the juice from the lemon and some extra salt/pepper/olive oil. Cook at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
 

There will actually be more smitten kitchen recipes to come this week and next, as I have been slightly modifying them and testing the waters to see if I can perfect any new non-Italian recipes. (Ok, so this is pizza...but at least the style is different!)

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara---a very popular Italian and also American dish. Almost every Italian restaurant in the USA has their own version. But, believe it or not, pasta carbonara is not a pasta in a cream sauce with bacon and spices...it is creamy, but, no cream is added at all to the recipe in an authentic version. So, here is a true Italian recipe of pasta carbonara. Try it yourself and see whether you prefer it with a cream sauce or how it is prepared here.

Spaghetti Carbonara
spaghetti noodles
freshly grated parmesian cheese
2 eggs
pancetta
pepper

Start by cutting the pancetta into small pieces and cook in a skillet with some olive oil. While cooking the pancetta, also boil some water for the spaghetti and begin cooking the pasta

Grate the parmesian cheese, add 2 eggs, and mix together for a creamy sauce.

When the pancetta is cooked and the spaghetti is prepared, add the noodles to the skillet. Make sure to keep the heat on, and pour in the egg and parmesian cheese mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes, serve immediately, and enjoy.

EDIT: Daniele wants me to make sure that everyone also adds black pepper to this recipe!

Grilled Chicken on a bed of spinach

Again, an easy meal for one...

While D was in Japan, I grilled some chicken on my George Foreman. Meanwhile, I sauteed spinach, mushrooms, onion, tomato and spices together. Presto! In about 15 minutes, a lovely meal was served!

Chicken Enchiladas

We cook a lot of pasta and I decided it was time to try something new. Therefore, upon Daniele's return from Japan I decided to try my hand at a traditional Mexican dish: chicken enchiladas. The recipe turned out fantastic, although, it was much more difficult than I thought. With two people, this recipe would have been much easier, but by myself it took about 3 hours. However, it was worth it---these were the best chicken enchiladas I've had and I will make them again for future special occasions!


Chicken Enchiladas
12 inch flour tortillas (6)
3 chicken breasts
olive oil
medium onion
green pepper
oregano
basil
4 oz can green chili peppers
colby cheese (shredded)
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup chili powder
2 cups chicken broth
ground cumin
tomato paste
salt
sour cream

Start by making the sauce. This is the most important part of the recipe and what makes the enchiladas so wonderful. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon flour, cook for a minute or so, add chili powder, and cook for another minute. Add chicken stock, 8-10 oz. tomato paste, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 1 teaspoon cumin. Stir, bring to a boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Now its time to make the filling. Cook the chicken and chop into small pieces. Also chop the onion and green pepper. In a saucepan, cook onion and green pepper. Add one teaspoon oregano and one teaspoon basil to the mixture. Saute for 5-10 minutes

In an oven-proof dish, coat the bottom with about 3/4 cup enchilada sauce. Dip the tortilla in the sauce, coating both sides. Add a spoonful of chicken, a spoonful of green pepper/onion, a spoonful of green chilis, and a spoonful of cheese. Close and flip over enchilada. Repeat for the rest of the enchiladas and cover the remaining enchiladas with the rest of your homemade sauce and most importantly, lots of cheese. (By now I'm sure your kitchen is a mess and you will need to clean it)

You can prepare this the day before cooking and refrigerate for one day if you want. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with sour cream.

The recipe is difficult, but could be easily doubled or tripled at not very much increased difficulty. I will probably make this again, with 6 inch tortillas, and bring to a future potluck.