Stuffed Rainbow Peppers

Here's a healthier stuffed pepper recipe I invented: Ingredients: 4 Bell Peppers (red, yellow, orange, green) - 1 lb. ground chicken - 1 onion, finely chopped - 4 cloves garlic, crushed - 1/4 cup red wine (Pinot Noire) - 1 tbsp. tomato paste - 1 14oz can diced tomatoes - 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped - 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped - 1 tbsp. sweet paprika - 1 tsp. salt - 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper - 1 tbsp. olive oil - 1 cup cooked quinoa - 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated - 2 buffalo mozzarellas. For the sauce: 2 cups of your favorite Marinara or Italian tomato sauce mixed with 2 tbsp. roasted red-pepper pesto. Directions: Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. On medium-high heat, fry the chopped onion and crushed garlic until slightly golden. Season the onion/garlic mix with salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste, thyme, rosemary and paprika and and stir to incorporate well. Now add the wine and allow to cook for 1 minute, so the alcohol can dissipate. Add the ground chicken and quinoa and stir well. Drain the diced tomatoes well and add to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, cover and allow to simmer on low for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Wash and cut the peppers in half lengthwise, keeping half the stalk intact on each half. Remove the veins and seeds. Line the base of a casserole with half the Marinara (tomato) sauce. Stuff the peppers with the slightly cooled chicken mixture. Make sure that the stuffing is packed tightly into the pepper halves. Arrange the peppers in the casserole dish, stuffing side upward. Brush the stuffed peppers with the remaining Marinara sauce and sprinkle with the fresh mozzarella. Tightly cover the casserole and bake in a 350F oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Jalapeno-Bacon-Cheddar Stuffed Burger

This is a great recipe for those of us who like things a little spicy! For the Burger: 2 lbs. good quality ground beef - ½ lb. bacon - Cheddar cheese, grated - ½ onion, finely chopped - 1tbsp paprika - 1 egg - 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce - Salt and Pepper - 3 roasted jalapeno peppers - Burger buns - Tomatoes, sliced and lettuce to serve - For the Sauce: ½ cup bacon fat - 1 ½ tbsp. butter - 1 tsp cayenne - 1 tbsp. Whiskey - 1 drop liquid smoke - For The Chipotle Mayoli: 1 cup "real" mayonnaise - 1 tsp. chipotle - 1 Head roasted garlic - Lemon zest - Directions: For the Mayoli: Preheat the oven to 350F. Wrap the garlic head loosely in aluminum foil and roast in the preheated oven for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft. Allow to cool and squeeze out the roasted garlic paste from the head into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, chipotle and the zest of 1 lemon and stir well to incorporate all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until needed. For the burgers: Fry the bacon strips in a non-stick frying pan until almost done. Do not allow the bacon to become too crispy. Reserve the bacon pan drippings for the Whiskey sauce. Place the bacon on a wire rack to drain and allow to cool. Cut into small pieces to resemble “Bacon Bits”. Roast the jalapeno peppers on the grill until the skins are well charred. Alternatively, this can be done on a gas stove flame or under the broiler of the oven. Place the charred jalapenos in a small bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to cool. Once cooled remove the skin, veins and seeds from the peppers and place the meat into a mixing bowl. With a fork, work the jalapeno meat into a cohesive pulp. Add the bacon bits and grated cheddar to the jalapeno and mix well. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the remaining burger ingredients and mix well. Forming the burgers: Using a 1-cup measure, create a ball of burger mix and mold a flat disc in your hand. It should be about 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Now place a tablespoon of the jalapeno-bacon-cheddar mixture in the middle of your burger disc. Wrap the sides up and inwards to cover and seal the jalapeno mixture. Carefully form a burger, making sure that the stuffing cannot leak out during cooking. If you like this recipe, you may consider investing in a “Burger Stuffer” (available in the “As Seen on TV” Section). This is a nifty, inexpensive kitchen gadget that forms perfectly stuffed burgers. Grill the burgers according to taste. For the Whiskey Sauce: Melt the reserved bacon fat and butter in a small sauce pan. Add the cayenne, Whiskey and liquid smoke, and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. To Serve: Spread the burger bun halves with the Mayoli. Place the burger patty on one bun half and drizzle with the Whiskey sauce. Add tomato or lettuce according to taste.

Hungarian "Szegedin" Goulash

Szegedin Goulash is a specialty from the Hungarian city of Szeged. This is a delicious goulash that includes Sauerkraut. Ingredients: 4 oz Lean bacon, chopped - 2 lbs Boneless pork trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes - 1 Large onion, chopped - 6 Garlic cloves, minced - 2 tbsp Tomato paste - 2 to 4 tbsp Hungarian paprika - 1 tbsp Caraway seeds - 2 tbsp Chopped fresh thyme - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper - 1 tbsp Red-wine vinegar - 2 cups Chicken or Beef stock - 2 lbs Sauerkraut, drained & rinsed - 1 cup Sweetened apple sauce - 1 tbsp olive oil - Sour cream to serve. Directions: Preheat the oven to 320F. In a Dutch oven or heavy, lidded cast-iron casserole (Le Creuset), heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper and fry until golden-brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep to one side on a plate. Add the bacon to the pan and fry until golden, but not brown. Then add the onion and garlic with a little salt and pepper, and fry until slightly golden. Add the tomato paste and vinegar, and stir until well incorporated with the onion-garlic-bacon mix - be careful not to burn. Now add the paprika, caraway seeds and thyme and stir to incorporate. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Return the pork to the pan and bake in the oven with a tight lid for 2 hours. After 2 hours' cooking time, add the drained sauerkraut and apple sauce to the goulash and returned to the oven with a lid for further 30 minutes. Serve with German Spaetzle, plain boiled potatoes or Roesti (hashbrown potato pancakes)and a spoonful of sour cream.

Quick Almond Plum Cake (Jacques Pepin)

For the Cake: 1 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened - 1 cup all-purpose flour - 1 cup unblanched whole almonds - 2/3 cup sugar - 1 tsp baking powder - 1 tsp vanilla extract - 2 large eggs - 1/3 cup milk - 4 to 6 ripe plums and 3tbsp sugar: Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch round spring-form pan. Process the flour, almonds, sugar and baking powder in the food processor until everything is resembles a flour consistency. Add the vanilla, butter, oil and eggs. Process for a few seconds or until the mixture is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Remove the pit from the plums with a sharp knife. Do not cut the plums in half and leave whole. Rinse under cold water and immediately role in 3 tbsp. sugar so the sugar sticks to the plums. Arrange plums on the top of the cake and space them evenly. Push them down into the batter so that the bottom half of each plum is immersed. Place the cake on a cookie sheet and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan. For the Glaze: 1/2 cup plum jam (use red-currant jelly as an alternative) - 1 tbsp. plum brandy (Amagnac), or substitute with Calvados or Cognac: Mix the jam with the brandy and heat in the microwave until liquid. Mix well and allow to stand for about 10 minutes. When the glaze starts to set, brush the cake with the glaze. Remove from baking pan once the glaze has completely set. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla gelato.