Roasted Red Peppers

Fresh red peppers are very reasonable at the Farmer’s Market during peak season, so it’s not only economical to roast them yourself, but they are much tastier than the commercially prepared varieties in jars. I make these year round. In the summer, I use the outdoor grill to prepare them; and in the winter, my oven works just as well. For a small amount, I use my countertop convection oven.

Roasted Red Peppers

On the outdoor grill: Wash peppers and place on medium-high grill. Heat until the skin is dark, but not completely charred black (you will still see a hint of red beneath the skin). Remove and immediately place in a stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl.Cover and let stand on kitchen counter for ½ hour so they steam.

In the oven:

Wash, halve and seed red peppers. Place skin side up on a foil lined cookie sheet (spray with high-temperature cooking spray). You may broil until skins are almost black (with a hint of red under) or just put them in a 450° oven, top rack. Keep a close eye on them, especially if you have them on the broil setting, as you don’t want them to char. Put in a stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl and cover to steam for about ½ hour on your kitchen counter.

Touch gently to make sure they are not too hot to handle (if they are still hot, wait until they are cool enough to handle comfortably). Peel skins off, and remove stem and seeds if you prepared them on the grill (do this under cold running water if the skins are sticking to your fingers). NOTE: Don't put the peppers under running water, but just use the cold running water to rinse away any skins and seeds that may be sticking to your fingers! The peppers may lose flavor if you put them directly under running water. Cut to desired size, and place in another bowl.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, chopped garlic, and fresh parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on grilled bread.

Grilled bread:

Slice Italian or French bread, brush lightly with olive oil (I use garlic infused olive oil), place slices on grill. Watch closely until light brown grill stripes appear. Turn. Remove promptly. Top with roasted red peppers.

Variations:

Finely chop Kalamata olives, and sprinkle them on top.

Use basil instead of, or in addition to, parsley.

Use as a pizza topping.

Toss with hot pasta, add your favorite cheese, herbs and steamed vegetables.

New England Clam Chowder

I am an impatient cook, and I don’t like a huge mess in my kitchen. That’s why I rarely bring mesh bags of sandy clams in the house. Way too much bother.

That said, I love the aroma of clam chowder simmering on the stove. It’s the meld of flavors—clams, bacon, onions, potatoes and thyme—that gets my mouth watering every time. Below is my very easy recipe for New England clam chowder. This can even be made in a slow cooker on a work day. Just sauté the bacon and onions before putting in the slow cooker, and add cream right before serving (turn to high to make sure it heats up).

Jan’s Very Yummy “No Fuss” Clam Chowder

5 slices bacon (I use the uncured variety, without nitrites or nitrates)

¼ cup diced onion (about ½ a medium sized onion)

4 baking potatoes, cut into large dice (about ½ inch square)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 small or 1 large leek (washed well, green part discarded, and thinly sliced)

1 8-oz bottle clam juice

½ teaspoon dried (or 1 teaspoon fresh) thyme

2 cans chopped clams (6.5 oz each), with juice

½ pint heavy cream

Dice bacon, and combine with onion. In a small Dutch oven (I use a 2 quart enameled cast iron one), sauté over medium heat. Increase heat if bacon doesn’t start to brown after a few minutes, but don’t brown too much. Drain any remaining bacon fat. Mix in potatoes, leeks, black pepper, and clam juice. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Remove about 1 cup of the potato mixture (without any liquid) and set aside.

With an immersion blender (or if you don’t have one, you can use a counter-top blender), puree mixture in the Dutch oven. It will be very thick, almost like really thin mashed potatoes. Return reserved potatoes to pot, and add chopped clams (don’t drain) and thyme. You may add more black pepper to taste (and salt, though there is plenty of salt from the bacon and clam juice, so I don’t add any). Bring to a gentle simmer and leave on the stove until you are getting closer to serving time. Stir frequently to keep it from sticking to pot.

About 15 minutes before serving, add the heavy cream and stir to blend well. Heat through until hot. Serve immediately.

I serve this with homemade bread (see previous recipe) and a garden salad. You may garnish with parsley, scallions, and additional bacon, if desired.

This makes four generous chowder bowl servings.