Red Peppers Stuffed With Aubergine Puree Food

ROASTED PEPPERS STUFFED WITH CHICK-PEA AND EGGPLANT PURéE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Trim and quarter mushrooms. Halve tomatoes lengthwise. In a large non-stick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté shallot, stirring, until softened. Reduce heat to moderate and cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Halve bell peppers lengthwise through stems and discard seeds and ribs. Season pepper shells with salt and pepper and in a large baking pan bake in upper third of oven 10 minutes.
• Spoon chick-pea and eggplant purée evenly into shells, smoothing tops. Mound mushroom mixture onto center of purée and sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake stuffed peppers in upper third of oven until heated through, about 15 minutes. (Alternatively, grill pepper shells, skin sides up, on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 7 to 10 minutes, or until slightly charred. Transfer shells to a work surface and stuff them as above. Grill stuffed peppers, covered, until heated through, about 5 minutes.)

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPERS WITH EGGPLANT (FUNGHETTO)

Steps:

• For the peppers: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray a small baking dish or baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Arrange the peppers, cut side-up, on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until the peppers are tender but still holding their shape, about 20 minutes.
• For the eggplant: Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add the eggplant in batches and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
• For the filling: Combine the cooked eggplant, tomato-basil sauce, olives, capers, salt and pepper in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.
• For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Spoon the filling into the bell peppers and sprinkle the topping over the filling. Drizzle with the olive oil and broil until a golden crust forms, 2 to 3 minutes.

EGGPLANT STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Place peppers in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes to soften, drain thoroughly set aside.
• Pour oil in large skillet, stir in eggplant and garlic
• Cook until eggplant is soft, approximately 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Stir bread crumbs into eggplant mixture; toss until bread crumbs are moistened.
• Stir in basil, parmesan cheese,pepper, goat cheese, parsley and pine nuts.
• Fill softened peppers with filling.
• Place peppers in oiled 9 x 13 pan. Pour about 1 cup water into pan.
• Bake in oven covered for about 45 minutes.
• Remove from oven.
• Cover each pepper with marinara sauce.
• Return to oven for another 10 minutes.

FETA-STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and pulse in food processor in batches to make coarse, soft crumbs. (It should yield about 3 cups.) Toss crumbs with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring frequently, until crisp and barely browned, about 15 minutes. Put baked crumbs in a bowl and add garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to combine. Set aside.
• Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place in a low-sided baking dish in one layer. Season cut side lightly with salt. Fill each pepper half with 1/2 ounce crumbled feta and press in cheese with fingers. With a spoon divide the seasoned crumbs evenly among the pepper halves.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, until crumbs are golden and cheese is softened. Serve warm from the baking dish.

RED PEPPER PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a roasting pan with enough aluminum foil to fold over the top later. Put the bell peppers in the pan and the pan in the oven. Roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes, until they collapse, about 40 minutes.
• Fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool. Working over a bowl, remove the core, skin, and seeds from each of the peppers, reserving some of the liquid.
• Put the pepper pulp in a food processor with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add a large pinch of salt and turn on the machine; drizzle the oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine, then taste and add more salt and/or olive oil if necessary. Store, well covered, in the refrigerator (for several days) or the freezer (up to a month).
• Add a couple tablespoons of puree to the cooking liquid of any simmering grain-rice, couscous, or quinoa, for example.
• Use in place of or with tomatoes in pasta sauce. For example, sauté several vegetables and bind them with the puree during the last minute of cooking.
• Fold into omelets or scrambled eggs, with or without cooked vegetables.
• Combine with chopped fresh basil, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and minced garlic for a pestolike pasta sauce.
• Emulsify with fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper to make a beautiful salad dressing.
• Spread on crostini or pizza before baking.
• Use as a finishing sauce for roasted eggplant, zucchini, or other vegetables.
• Serve as a condiment with grilled or roasted fish, meat, or chicken.
• Stir into soups or stews just before serving.
• Mash a couple tablespoons of puree, with a little olive oil, minced garlic, and cracked black pepper, into fresh, salty cheese-like feta or goat-to make a dip for bread or vegetables.

ROASTED STUFFED RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a shallow roasting pan with olive oil.
• Carefully halve each pepper lengthwise so that the stem remains intact on each half. Coat each half with oil and place in the pan.
• Reserve 6 basil leaves for garnish and finely chop the remaining leaves to make 3 to 4 tablespoons. In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently but thoroughly. You can make this ahead and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
• Spoon the tomato mixture into the pepper halves and roast until the peppers have browned lightly and the tomato filling is juicy and bubbling, about 1 hour. Garnish each pepper with a whole basil leaf.