Stuffed Peppers Italian Style with Sausage and Mozzarella

July 26, 2016 by 20 Comments

melrose peppers Normally when you see a recipe for stuffed peppers you’ll see the bell shaped variety being used but I look forward to this time of year because a very special pepper starts to show up in Italian markets around Chicagoland, they’re called Melrose Peppers. I’ve done posts on them in the past like this one.

They came to be called Melrose peppers because as the story goes, many years ago a family from Calabria, Italy eventually settled into a suburb of Chicago called Melrose Pk. They brought with them the seeds of this very special, delicious thinned skinned pepper.They quickly became popular among gardeners in the Italian community and then soon after that they started appearing in all the fruit and vegetable stands, and the rest is history.

stuffing peppers Even though I’m featuring and stuffing my favorite Melrose peppers for this recipe, you can honestly use any type of elongated pepper such as a cubanelle or the sweet and long red pepper variety.

All you’re going to do is cut off the top then take a knife and make a slit down one side but not all the way, you still want the pepper to remain in tact, then just scoop out the seeds.

Then buy the best Italian sausage available, mine always has fennel and red pepper flakes for a little heat. If you can buy it in bulk go ahead, if not just remove it from the casing. Place it into a bowl then add a good amount of shredded mozzarella and mix well, that’s your stuffing!

stuffed peppers Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then drizzle all over with olive oil and place your peppers onto it after you stuff them with the mixture.

stuffed peppers Then it’s a quick drizzle all over the top, add salt and pepper and place them into a 400 degree oven for about half an hour, depending on what type of pepper you’re using.

stuffed peppers You’re aiming for soft and tender and of course the sausage being fully cooked as well as seeing the cheese has melt.

stuffed peppersstuffed peppers When you’re ready to serve spoon some warm marinara over the top and onto the serving plate.

stuffed peppers The flavor combination is divine, this is stuffed peppers at it’s finest!

stuffed peppers

Add some crusty bread with a nice green salad and dinner is served!

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20 Comments Filed Under: Chicago, Summer, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged: , , , ,

Savory Squash and Brussels Sprout Flatbread

October 29, 2015 by 11 Comments

brussels sprout and squash flatbread

I can’t tell you how much I love making making flatbread pizzas, every body seems to love them and when I’m pressed for time I can whip one up in a few minutes. What I like about flatbread pizza is that you can make them so many different ways, actually using whatever you have on hand in your fridge. They bake up with a nice crispy crust that’s able to hold up to whatever you place on top, think leftover chicken, veggies, cheese, you don’t need much of each, actually less is more. Here’s some other ones I’ve made in the past.

I use lavash bread, there’s many different brands and you can find them at almost any large grocery store, I keep a couple of packages in my freezer at all times. Honestly, even if you take them straight out of the freezer they only take a few minutes to defrost, which is great for busy days and unexpected guests.

making squash puree

Last week I bought a butterkin squash at my farmers market, which is now officially closed for the season, sniff sniff.  They told me I should try it, that it was creamy and delicious, a cross between butternut squash and pumpkin. I loved it and would buy it again, to me it tasted like a more intense butternut squash and it had an amazing orange color, so fall like!

I decided to make a puree from it by first roasting it then scooping out the cooked pulp and smoothing it all out in my food processor, you could actually do this with any type winter squash, it’s nice to have on hand and I’ve been using it in a bunch of different things all week.

brussels sprouts and squash flatbread

For instance, I used some of the puree for the base of my flatbread, I put a couple of tablespoons into a little ricotta and spread it on as my first layer, it was a nice little twist and enhanced all the flavors of the other ingredients that I used on top.

My next layer was shredded mozzarella, then pre-roasted delicata squash rings, ending with shaved, pre- roasted brussels sprouts that were tossed in olive oil and parmesan cheese, both were leftovers in my fridge and when all put together it was out of this world good!

A few tips for the flatbread, brush olive oil on both sides, place on a baking sheet, top with ingredients and bake at 400 degrees for no more then 10 minutes, that’s it!

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11 Comments Filed Under: Fall, Pizza, Uncategorized Tagged: , ,

Grilled Vegetable Salad

April 15, 2014 by 11 Comments

grilled vegetable salad Here’s a fresh and healthy side dish to serve along anything you’re about to throw on your grill this weekend. It’s a combination of grilled veggies and a salad all in one! I actually recreated this from a salad I had at a restaurant recently.

grilling vegetables It couldn’t be easier to make, just grill up your favorite veggies, go for a variety of colors, the more color the better, it adds to a pretty presentation. I even used some mini eggplant I found called Indian eggplant, which I thought gave it a nice visual and something different.

grilled vegetables All the vegetables can be grilled ahead of time and set aside until you’re ready to plate everything together.

grilled vegetable salad Crisp romaine lettuce is dressed with a rich, slightly sweet aged balsamic vinaigrette. I also added sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and creamy avocado into the mix.

Feel free to crumble some creamy goat cheese or feta on top with a sprinkling of pine nuts for more bling!

grilled vegetable salad This is great for entertaining with ease and the presentation is gorgeous sitting on your platter!

Grilled Vegetable Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • red, yellow and orange bell peppers
  • eggplant
  • zucchini
  • yellow squash
  • asparagus
  • artichoke hearts, grilled or canned, drained of any liquid
  • sun dried tomatoes ( soft and tender)
  • sliced avocado
  • crumbled feta or goat cheese and pine nuts, (optional)
  • FOR BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
  • ¼ cup of a good aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup, extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced finely
  • ¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Prepare and slice all your veggies, place in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill them all ahead of time until tender with nice grill marks, set aside.
  2. Whisk all your balsamic vinaigrette ingredients together until well incorporated.
  3. Right before you're ready to eat place chopped romaine, sun dried tomatoes into a bowl and dress with the vinaigrette, place onto your platter.
  4. Take the same bowl, toss in all your grilled veggies and carefully drizzle balsamic vinaigrette all over them, not too much, a little goes a long way, taste to your liking.
  5. Carefully arrange the veggies on top of the lettuce mixture with slices of avocado all around the perimeter.
  6. Add cheese and nuts if so desired.

 

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11 Comments Filed Under: Salads, Side Dishes, Summer, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged: ,