What to do with Red Peppers

Recently, I was looking at all of the vegetables in the refigerator, trying to see what we had and what we needed to eat. I found a more than ample supply of red bell peppers from a recent trip to Costco. So I started to brainstorm ideas on what to do with them. The result turned out to be a delicious soup.

Roasted Red Pepper and Lentil Soup

2 red peppers

1 onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1.5-2 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon ras al hanout spice

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of half and half

1 cup of cooked lentils (1/2 cup uncooked lentils)

kosher salt & pepper

First, preheat your grill to get it hot for roasting the red peppers. Cut each red pepper into about 5-6 large pieces, removing seeds. Also quarter the onion and leave the pieces together. Toss peppers and onion in a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast the peppers and onions on the grill. The skins of the red peppers should be blackened. Remove the pepper from the grill and set aside. Move onion to the soup pot on the stove.

While peppers cool, you can begin cooking the lentils. In a nonstick saucepan, bring one and a half cups of water to a boil, adding salt. Rinse the lentils and add them to the water. Cover and reduce heat to a very low temperature. You will let these cook very slowly for about half an hour. However, you might want to check them occasionally to make sure the water hasnt't evaproated. Do not overstir or mash the lentils. Test the lentils to see if they are indeed soft and done.

Remove skins from the red peppers. Add peppers to soup pot with the peppers. You do not need to chop the peppers further. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the minced clove of garlic. Saute in pan for about 3 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, ras al hanout spice, lemon zest, pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the soup for about 40 minutes on low heat.

The next step is to puree the soup. Right before blending, add cilantro to the soup. Pour the soup into a blender in batches. Don't forget to remove the plastic cap at the top of the blender to let heat escape when you blend. You might want to put a towel loosely over the opening so that soup doesn't splash out when you blend. After blend, strain the soup through a mech strainer or food meal. Collect all of the liquid and return soup to the stove. Discard the solids. To the soup, add the half and half, 1 cup of cooked lentils, 1 additional tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook soup on low for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Hope you enjoy.

Spring is Here = Fire up the Grill

To celebrate the first day of spring on Sunday, I decided it was time to fire up the grill. At least I have gotten to do one thing that is spring-like this week. The weather doesn't seem to realize that it is suppose to be warming up. I wanted to make something with a couple of filet mignon steaks we had. So here is the creation I put together.

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with Caramelized Onions

2 6-8 oz Filet Mignon

4 small slices of bacon

2 teaspoons ground mustard

1 onion

1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons cabernet sauvignon jam

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

kosher salt & pepper

Preparing the dish:

Allow steaks to warm a little at room temperature to take some of the chill off. Chop onion into thin strips. Start melting 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a non-stick pan. Quickly rub steaks into the melting butter to coat them on each side. Do not allow them to cook. Add another 1/2 tablespoon butter to the pan and start cooking the onions on medium heat. While onions are cooking, season the steaks on each side with the ground mustard, salt, and pepper, rubbing them into the meat. Continue cooking onions until they start browning. Push all of the onions to one side of the pan. Add the bacon to the other side of the pan to start cooking for 3-4 minutes. To the onions, add the jam along with another 1/2 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low. Keep the bacon cooking separate from the onions, allowing some of the juices from each to mix with the other. Add the balsamic vinegar to the onions and continue cooking until the the bacon begins to crisp at the edges. Once bacon and onions are done, set aside.

Preheat your grill and allow the temperature to rise to 450-500 degrees. Sear steaks on the grill, turning once halfway through cooking. About 2 minutes before the steaks reach the level of cooking you want, remove them from the grill and reduce the grill heat. Using toothpicks, attach bacon to the sides of the filet mignon. The bacon should cover the whole sides of the beef. If needed, cut the bacon to fit. Spoon half of the onion mixture and juices on top of each steak. Return steaks to the grill for about 2 more minutes. Remove from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Substitutions: The only ingredient that might be difficult to find is the jam. Instead you could try a combination of 2 tablespoons grape jam and 2 tablespoons red wine. The jam I have is from a company called Emily G's. They have a great selection of jams which I have sampled at previous food shows. Their web site also has several recipes for using jams in main dishes, salads, desserts, and more.

Coming soon: Roasted Red Pepper and Lentil Soup