Hot for Peppers

by Carmela Porter (Roasted Green Peppers), Kathy Keudell (Dish of Fire)

At first taste, sweet bell peppers and chili peppers don’t seem to have much in common, but they are both members of the capsicum family native to the Western Hemisphere. Sweet bell peppers range in color from bright green to yellow, orange, purple, red and even brown. Chili peppers range in size from 1⁄4 inch to 12 inches long. Some peppers are thin and pencil-like; others are plump globes. Their heat level varies as well—from mildly warm to killer hot. In general, the smaller the variety, the hotter the pepper.

This week American Profile offers two recipes that accentuate the characteristics of sweet and chili peppers.

Carmela Porter of Holland, Mich., sent in her recipe for Roasted Green Peppers. “My Italian mother made Roasted Green Peppers as a side dish or a salad for special occasions. I make them whenever I get the yearning for peppers,” she says.

Dish of Fire, submitted by Kathy Keudell, uses canned green chilies. You can alter the heat level of the dish by using mild or hot chilies. “Dish of Fire gets rave reviews, and there are never any leftovers,” says the Columbia City, Ore., resident.

As always, American Profile looks forward to receiving your recipes and sharing them with our readers. To submit a recipe of your own, send it, along with the story behind it and a color photograph of yourself, to: Hometown Recipes, American Profile, 341 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067. Please note that recipes and photos will not be returned.

Dish of Fire

submitted by reader Kathy Keudell of Columbia City, OR

High Cotton Food Styling & Photography

Printer Friendly Version
Do you like to print recipes and add them to your collection? You're in luck. Use our printer friendly version of this recipe.

email this recipe to a friend

buy our cookbooks

Find more recipes with:
leaves , cheese , fire , uncooked , grain

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups water
2 dried bay leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter or extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pint sour cream
1 cup 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican-blend cheese, divided
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped hot or mild green chilies, drained
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine rice, water, bay leaves and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 2 to 3 minutes to allow rice to absorb liquid. Discard bay leaves.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
3. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions; cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
4. Add rice, sour cream, cottage cheese, Tabasco, cumin and 3 cups shredded cheese to onions. Stir well.
5. Spoon half the rice mixture into baking pan. Sprinkle with chilies. Top with remaining rice mixture, remaining cheese and pepper.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden on the edges. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 16.

Nutritional Information

Nutrition facts per serving: 250 calories, 17g fat, 10g protein, 13g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 390mg sodium.

Roasted Green Bell Peppers

submitted by reader Carmela Porter of Holland, MI

High Cotton Food Styling & Photography

Printer Friendly Version
Do you like to print recipes and add them to your collection? You're in luck. Use our printer friendly version of this recipe.

email this recipe to a friend

buy our cookbooks

Find more recipes with:
bell , peppers , roasted , rinsed , patted

Ingredients

4 large green bell peppers, rinsed and patted dry
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Place a sheet of foil on a baking sheet and arrange the whole peppers on it. Place on the center oven rack. Roast the peppers for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skins begin to split and the peppers are richly browned, turning every 10 minutes.
3. Remove the peppers from the oven, place in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 20 minutes to cool slightly and absorb smoky flavors.
4. Remove the skins and seeds. Rinse fingertips frequently to allow for a better grip. Pull peppers apart into thin strips and place in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, olive oil, and salt; mix gently. Serves 4.

Tips from the Test Kitchen

Tips From Our Test Kitchen: To remove seeds easily, pull the stem of the pepper and all of the seeds will come out in almost one piece. Cut the roasted peppers into smaller pieces and toss with cooked white rice for an interesting side dish.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 120 calories, 10g fat, 1g prot., 8g carbs., 2g fiber, 290mg sodium.

first appeared: 1/13/2008