Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes And Olives

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes And Olives

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

Grilling the green peppers and onions under the broiler imparts a smokiness and savouriness to the dish that can't be achieved if it was just simply sauteed. 

This dish is delicious. Expect it to tastes like slightly charred smoky green peppers mixed with the salty savouriness of the olives and some tartness from the tomatoes.

I serve it as part of a meze or a pre-dinner dip. I could eat a lot of this with some soft flat bread, tortilla chips, grilled fish, pasta or on its own. If vegetables always cooked this tasty, I might consider becoming a vegetarian. No, impossible. I love my bacon.

There is still bite to this chunky dip as the vegetables are not overcooked and the flavours improve with keeping. It is a good idea to make this the day before a party so it frees you somewhat from the kitchen on party day itself. I like that.

ROASTED GREEN BELL PEPPERS WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	30 minutes grill + 20 minutes stove top
Inactive:	10 minutes for grilled vegetables to cool
Level:	Easy
Makes:	3 cups
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Up to 2 days ahead, refrigerated.

Ingredients

15.8 oz (450 g) green bell peppers
8 oz (225 g) onions with skins (about 2 medium size)
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 can of 14.5 oz (411 g) diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons sliced green olives
1 to 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Dried spices

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon paprika/chilli powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Place this under the oven rack you will be setting your vegetables on for grilling. Any juices that might drip from the vegetables will be caught on the aluminium lined tray, saving you some washing up.

Turn on your broiler. Place the whole green bell peppers and the onions (with skins left on) directly on the oven rack. The top of your vegetables should be between 1" to 1 and 1/2" (2.5 cm to 3.8 cm) away from the heating element above. 

Depending on the heat from your broiler, it should take 5 to 10 minutes for each side of the bell peppers and onions to get charred. Rotate the vegetables and watch that they don't burn. You will be peeling off the black outer skins when they are done so do not be afraid to get them nicely charred.

Place the charred bell peppers in a vessel, cover tightly with plastic wrap and cool. Alternatively, you could seal them in a heavy duty plastic bag or a plastic container with a lid.

Leave the charred onions to cool on its own.

When the bell peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the charred skins and remove as much seeds as you can. Save any juices from the bell peppers. Dice the bell peppers and add any juices to it. Set aside.

Do the same for the charred onions.

Heat up the olive oil on medium high heat. Fry the garlic for a minute or until it smells aromatic. Add the tomatoes and fry for 10 minutes or until most of the tomato liquid has evaporated and the oil separates. Take a look at my frying pan of tomatoes. 

Add the dried spices and the diced onions. Fry 5 to 10 minutes until the onions softens a little. Add the bell peppers stir to mix and warm through. Finally add the sliced olives. Stir. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Remove from the burner and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.

Tips

• Put this over spaghetti or penne, sprinkle over some grated parmesan and eat. If you like it with more of a sauce, add another can of diced tomatoes together with the first can and adjust your seasonings. If the Roasted Bell Peppers With Tomatoes And Olives are leftover from the day before (which I always look forward to), I add some tomato passata (cooked and strained tomatoes that usually comes in tall glass bottles) and simply heat through before eating.

• This dish goes well with a dish of Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt (there is a picture below of it on my meze table). Labneh has a taste and texture similar to cream cheese. A simple vegetarian meal would be a plate of Roasted Bell Peppers With Tomatoes And Olives with a small side of Labneh lightly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. In fact, that was what I had for lunch. It all went down too quickly in my tummy for me to take a picture.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                 

Moroccan inspired round bread loaves. They are 2 different yet similar loaves. One is baked with spelt flour and the other with stone ground whole wheat flour. Which is which?

Find out in my upcoming post for the recipe that baked these soft loaves.

To recap, this post is part of my series on Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. With the festive season fast approaching, it is time to start thinking about some party food for those year-end parties. 

Year-end party menus are often more elaborate and require more time to prepare. Invariably there will be more dinner guests to feed. You might even find that you have to host that extra one, two or three parties. More than a little effort is probably required of you to decorate your house and dining table for the festive season. 

This is the time when I appreciate more than ever those recipes that are quick and easy but I am especially grateful for recipes that can be prepared in advance. Something that you might want to consider is to host a party where you serve a selection of meze (a selection of small dishes). A lot of the work can be done ahead. Take a look at my post on  Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites to find out more.

My recent meze party inspired my series on 'little bites' for your upcoming year-end parties. 

First row:

Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes; Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips & Beets; Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad; Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers.

Second row:

Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta; Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices; Beef Kafta -  Lebanese inspired Meatballs.

Third row:

Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey; Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers and Tomatoes With Olives; Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta. 

Here are the recipes I have posted:

• Zaalouk, Roasted Eggplants and Peppers
• Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers
• Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey
• Greek inspired Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta
• Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets
• Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta
• Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices
• Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad
• Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs
• Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes And Olives
• Moroccan inspired Wholemeal Round Loaf

Radish, Bell Pepper And Mint Salad

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:
Radish Bell, Pepper and Mint Salad

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

Served cold and swiftly after it is made, this lovely salad has crunch and tang. Not a drop of oil goes in it which makes it particulary refreshing served alongside grilled meats. 

There is always a plate of this salad whenever I cook beef kafta - think Lebanese inspired, generously spiced but well flavoured meatballs. 

I like pairing this with smoked salmon too and serve it as an appetiser. Smoked salmon is salty. I don't use very much of it. I do like how the 'smokiness' of the salmon with its distinct flavour, complements the tangy vinegar dressing, crunchy radishes and sweet peppers.

RADISH, BELL PEPPER AND MINT SALAD                        

Prep:	15 minutes
Cook:	-
Inactive:	-
Level:	Easy
Makes:	About 1 cup of salad. The Smoked Salmon Radish Appetiser should serve 6 when paired with a bit of flat bread.
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	30 minutes in advanced but it tastes best fresh.

Ingredients

For the salad only

200g baby radish
2 and 1/2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar/cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons finely cut mint leaves
1 cup orange coloured mini bell peppers
2 Tablespoons finely diced onions

For the Smoked Salmon Radish Appetiser

3.5 oz (100 g) sliced smoked salmon
1 to 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Sprinkling of cracked black pepper

Method

I like this salad cold. So I keep the radishes and mini bell peppers in the refrigerator until I am ready to make the salad.

For the salad

Thinly slice the radishes. I use a mandoline.

Dissolve the sugar and salt into the vinegar. You are looking for a tart and ever so slight sweet taste. The sugar is used to mellow the tartness of the vinegar. You need to add more or less sugar depending on the type of vinegar you use. It will also taste salty at this point. Toss the radishes in the vinegar dressing. Set it aside for 5 minutes while you slice the mini bell peppers into 0.19" (0.5 cm) thick.

Toss the peppers with the radishes. Add the onions and the mint. Toss, taste and adjust seasonings. 

When you are ready to plate, leave most of the dressing behind, plate the salad and serve soonest possible.

For the Smoked Salmon Radish Appetiser

Lay the salmon slices on your serving plate to form a circumference of a circle. Leave a slight gap from the outer edge of the circumference and start layering and overlapping the sliced radishes, working in a clockwise direction and inwards towards the centre. 

Arrange the sliced bell peppers in the centre, overlapping them to stand in a pyramid shape.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle the black pepper. Serve as soon as possible if not, cover and refrigerate. 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                 

Beef Kafta. This torpedo shaped meatball is inspired by the Lebanese kefta. It is generously spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and a few other spices. You need to get a good balance of the spices and the right cut of mince for a tender meatball.

To recap, this post is part of my series on Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. With the festive season almost upon us, I thought it would be useful to post some recipes for pre-dinner bites for your upcoming parties. 

Here is a picture of my recent meze party. There was enough of a delicious array of food to choose from and good home baked bread too.

To find out the names of and the recipes for the meze I served, please refer to the picture below.

First row:

Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes; Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips & Beets; Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad; Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers.

Second row:

Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta; Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices; Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs.

Third row:

Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey; Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers and Tomatoes With Olives; Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta. 

Here are the recipes I have posted:

• Zaalouk, Roasted Eggplants and Peppers
• Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers
• Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey
• Greek inspired Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta
• Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets
• Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta
• Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices
• Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad
• Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs
• Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes and Olives
• Moroccan inspired Wholemeal Round Loaf

Figs And Peppered Ricotta

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:
Figs And Peppered Ricotta

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

When figs are in season, apart from eating it as is, there is no simpler way to enjoy them than to quarter the figs down almost to its base, pucker them up, dollop with ricotta and embellish with just a little pepper, honey, extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest. There, I have just given you the entire recipe. Well, almost. Enjoy!

FIGS AND PEPPERED RICOTTA                        

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	-
Inactive:	-
Level:	Easy
Serves:	2 as a starter on a bed of mesclun or 4 as part of a meze.
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Only the salad dressing can be made ahead if you are serving it as a starter for 2.

Ingredients

4 Figs

4 Tablespoons ricotta

2 teaspoons honey

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest or grate the lemon zest directly over the figs

Black pepper

If serving as a starter for 2 on a bed of mesclun you need:

2 cups of mesclun

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon caster sugar

The amount of sugar you use depends on how sharp the balsamic vinegar tastes.You want the salad dressing to be slightly on the sweet side. Don't skip.

pinch of pepper and salt

Method

Quarter the figs almost down to its base. Use your two thumbs and forefingers to pinch and push the base of the figs upwards so that they are thrust upwards to open up like a blossom.Dollop 2 Tablespoons of ricotta into each cavity. 

Plate them. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon honey over each mound of ricotta. Lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil over each fig. Divide the 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and sprinkle over each mound of ricotta. Serve as part of a meze.

If serving as a starter for 2 on a bed of mesclun you need: 

In a large bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, caster sugar, salt and pepper well to get a salad dressing. Add the mesclun into the salad dressing and toss to coat.

Divide into 2 portions and plate the dressed mesclun. Place 2 prepared figs over the salad. Eat.

Tips

• So you do not like figs. No problem. Use peaches or nectarines instead.

• Please try out the salad dressing on your next salad. It only requires three ingredients plus salt and pepper. You are likely to find all the ingredients in your pantry. So easy to make and so good. It tastes flavourful, sharp and slightly sweeter than regular salad dressing because of the caster sugar. 
• The salad dressing is also very good drizzle over beef kefta (meatballs), a recipe that I will share with you soon. 

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                

Hummus with Spiced Up Angus Beef. The hummus is very creamy and smooth, the angus beef is tender. It is a great combination!

To recap, this post is part of my series on Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. With the festive season almost upon us, I thought it would be useful to post some pre-dinner bites for your upcoming parties. 

Here is a picture of my recent meze party. A main course was not served and there was really no need for it. There was enough of a delicious array of food to choose from and good home baked bread too.

To find out the names of and the recipes for the meze I served, please refer to the picture below.

First row:

Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes; Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips & Beets; Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad; Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers.

Second row:

Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta; Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices; Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs.

Third row:

Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey; Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers and Tomatoes With Olives; Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta. 

Here are the recipes I have posted:

• Zaalouk, Roasted Eggplants and Peppers
• Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers
• Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey
• Greek inspired, Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta
• Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets
• Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta
• Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices
• Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad
• Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs
• Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes and Olives
• Moroccan inspired Wholemeal Round Loaf

Greek Inspired, Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Greek Inspired Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

Shrimp coated in a savoury tomato sauce that is not too heavily seasoned and then rounded off with cubes of feta. 

This dish not only goes well served as part of a meze, it is good on pasta, with lightly buttered rice or in a sandwich. I do like this recipe. I like it even better because it is an easy recipe.

This recipe is the 4th recipe I am posting from a list of 10 meze (hors' d'oeuvres) that I had mentioned in my recent post, Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. I thought the recipes would come in useful as we approach the festive season. 

Serving some pre-prepared starters is always a good start to any party and it works even better at year-end parties when guests lists typically get longer and menus more fancy. 

Prepared in advance, laying out appetisers will free you somewhat from having to slog too long in the kitchen whilst everyone else is having a good time at your party. It will also ease your mind knowing you won't have guests following you with hungry eyes and you won't be in a state of frenzy while trying to get food out on the table. 

You will be cool, calm and collected and have time to glide around your guests. So much better than to be scampering around in the kitchen!

Here are all the 10 meze that I served at a recent meze party, Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out the names of the meze.

GREEK INSPIRED, SHRIMP WITH TOMATOES AND FETA 

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	30 minutes
Inactive:	-
Level:	Easy
Serves:	6 as part of a meze or 2 as a main course with pasta, rice or in a sandwich.
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Up to 3 days. Keep covered and refrigerated. It can also be frozen up to 5 days. Hold off adding the feta though. Defrost in the chiller overnight, reheat and then add feta.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onions very finely diced 

1 can (14 oz) (400g) diced tomatoes

1/4 cup parsley finely cut, reserve 1 Tablespoon for sprinkling over cooked dish

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic

14 oz (400 g) medium size shrimp that have been shelled

3 oz (85 g) feta cubed

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over cooked dish

Method

Pour 4 Tablespoons of olive oil into a saucepan or pot and heat up on medium high. Add the diced onions and saute until softened, translucent and slightly brown at the edges. About 10 minutes.

Add the canned tomatoes, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, slightly covered for 10 minutes. 

Add garlic, cover slightly and simmer for another 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Taste it. You should have a sauce that looks similar to the one below. 

Add the shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes covered or until shrimp turn pink and are cooked. 

Gently stir in feta. Cover, turn off the heat and remove from the burner. It doesn't matter if you still have chunks of feta. Actually, you want chunks.

After 2 minutes, uncover and adjust seasonings. Plate it, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over the reserved chopped parsley.

That was my dinner. Yummy, yummy. I baked the flat bread you see draped over the shrimp with a dough starter that I have been maintaining for over a month in my chiller. It bakes really tasty bread with a nice chew.

Tips 

• To save yourself time and hassle, use frozen shrimp that have been shelled.
• Choose medium size shrimp over small ones. It will look more appetising when plated. Small shrimp will look pretty measly on the table. It will have little to zero ''wow" factor even if it tastes good. We do 'eat' with our eyes first.
• I have cooked and froze this 5 days ahead and thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Add the feta only after warming through. Do not over heat. Still tasted good.
• Again, this tastes good over pasta, rice and in sandwiches. Do try.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                               

It is time for some pickles to go with the meze recipes that I have posted. So look out for my upcoming post on, Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets.

To recap, this post is part of my series on Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. 

First row:

Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes; Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips & Beets; Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad; Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers.

Second row:

Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta; Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices; Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs.

Third row:

Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey; Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers and Tomatoes With Olives; Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta. 

Here are the recipes I have posted:

• Zaalouk, Roasted Eggplants and Peppers
• Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers
• Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey
• Greek inspired Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta
• Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets
• Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta
• Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices
• Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad
• Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs
• Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes and Olives
• Moroccan inspired Wholemeal Round Loaf

Prep:

10 minutes

Cook:

30 minutes

Inactive:

-

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 as part of a meze or 2 as a main course with pasta, rice or in a sandwich.

Oven Temperature:

-

Can recipe be doubled?

Yes

Make ahead?

Up to 3 days. Keep covered and refrigerated. It can also be frozen up to 5 days. Hold off adding the feta though. Defrost in the chiller overnight, reheat and then add feta.