PUT SOME SIZZLE IN YOUR STEAK
Spice blends will add heat to your meat
A summer supper that can be prepared in advance and baked at the last minute is a gift to the cook. The new cookbook Vegetarian Any Day offers numbers of meatless recipes that fit this bill.
Flavour will be best using local peppers, but the recipe could be made with imported peppers all year long.
The authors, Canadian sisters Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Penguin), also suggest cutting the peppers in half and serving them as a side dish; add extra cheese and cut cooking time by five minutes. Quinoa may be used instead of millet.
The more than 100 recipes in this book make a beautiful, tempting collection.
SWEET MILLET AND CHICKPEA STUFFED PEPPERS
Serves: 4
4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
3 tbsp (45 mL) grape seed or vegetable oil
2 tsp (10 mL) chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp (5 mL) minced garlic
1/2 to 1 tsp (2 to 5 mL) crushed red pepper flakes 5 bay leaves
2 cups (500 mL) vegetable broth
1 cup (250 mL) millet 1 cup (250 mL) cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Line an eight-inch (two-litre) square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Cut around the stem end of the peppers. Remove stem and seeds. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over mediumlow heat. Cook rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes and one bay leaf, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add broth and millet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in chickpeas and a quarter cup (60 mL) of the grated cheese, and spoon filling into the four pepper cases. Sprinkle each pepper with the remaining cheese, tuck one bay leaf into each pepper and arrange stuffed peppers upright in the prepared baking dish. (Peppers may now wait, covered, until it’s time to bake. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before baking.)
5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender and cheese is golden. Let cool for five minutes before serving.