Tag: verygood recipes

Melrose Pepper Panzanella Salad

If you have followed along with my kitchen adventures over the years, you know that some foods pop up every Summer. This is all about the combination of two of my favorite summer foods, Melrose Peppers and Panzanella Salad. I’m not sure why I haven’t thought of them together before, but it has been hot and humid enough to make my brain take strange detours and this recipe is the result.

There have many entries here that have involved Melrose Peppers:

https://mamadskitchen.net/2022/08/23/melrose-peppers-a-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year/ 

There have also been a few entries about panzanella salad:

https://mamadskitchen.net/2018/07/21/panzanella-palooza-the-summer-edition/

These posts give a fairly nice overview of my love for these two summer favorites. There are more that you can peruse by searching both topics on my website, but this is something a bit new.

It all began, as it always does, with a trip to Caputo’s Fresh Market. This is the one store in our area that I can be sure to find Melrose Peppers. These thin skinned frying peppers have a close connection with my hometown of Melrose Park where they are said to have been brought from Italy by the many Italian immigrants that settled there.  Panzanella Salad originated in Tuscany and is a simple bread salad that is tossed with vegetables. So, here goes the mash up.

Usually tomatoes are the star of traditional panzanella, but they are taking a supporting roll to the Melrose peppers this time. These peppers sing sweetly when they are fried, but they are also wonderful when roasted, and I did just that.

A note about Melrose Peppers:  I know they are not available everywhere and a substitution could be Cubanelle or even the mini bell peppers that are in most every store’s produce department. Harder to find but a good swap are “Ancient Peppers,” Multi-colored, long, thin, and wavy, they are thin skinned and are great roasted.  I added a yellow “Ancient Pepper” for some contrast because I had one on hand. Since I decided that this would be a main dish I added some Italian Sausage and Mozzarella Cheese.

While the peppers and onions roasted, I prepped the other ingredients: The sausage was squeezed out of its casing and cooked in a fry pan over medium heat. I broke it up into bite size pieces as it cooked. The bread was cut into cubes and toasted, and the cheese was cut into cubes. The tomatoes also got sliced into bite size pieces.

Once everything was ready there was nothing left to do but put it all together. The order is important but not crucial, however the bread cubes should go in first. The bread is dry and crunchy at this point and you want it to get softer and let it absorb all the wonderful flavors that will be filling the bowl.

So in went the roasted peppers and onions along with their roasting juices, the cooked sausage, the tomatoes and the cheese. Now what did we need to bring it all together? A dressing of course. I used a very simple vinaigrette that works with all kinds of salads. That recipe will follow the recipe for the salad itself.

Now let’s talk about Basil. My plant on the balcony is still doing well and I snipped a few leaves to add to the salad. Roughly torn they were tossed with the salad and a few more were sprinkled on top. I love that deep herby flavor they empart.

So that is the newest entry into my Panzanella and Melrose Pepper collections. Here is the recipe for you to try.  Tweek and play with it, but make it before the summer is gone.

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Melrose Pepper Panzanella Salad

This is the basic recipe. You are invited to adapt and play with it as you like.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Author: binner216@comcast.net
Ingredients
  • 6 Ounces Crusty Bread, slightly stale is best
  • 2 Links Italian Sausage
  • 8-10 Ounces Melrose Peppers (or another sweet frying pepper)
  • 1/2 Medium Onion
  • 3-4 Roma Tomatoes
  • 3 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 -3/4 Cup Basil, roughly torn Save a few leaves for garnish
  • 1/2 Cup Italian Vinaigrette homemade or store bought. You may need more.
Instructions
Prepare the Ingrdients

  1. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into a fry pan. Cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking it into bite size pieces, until it is cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

  2. Slice the peppers into rings about an inch wide. Cut the onions vertically into 3/4 inch crescent moons . Combine them and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and roast 20 minutes or so in a 375 degree oven. They should be soft but not mushy. Let them cool in the pan.

  3. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. You can spray them lightly with cooking spray if you want. Toast in a 375 degree oven until they just begin to turn golden. Watch them carefully!

    Cut the tomatoes and Mozzarella into bite size chunks

Assembling the Salad

  1. Place the toasted bread cube into a large deep bowl.

  2. Add the roasted onions and peppers including any roasting juices.

    Add the sausage, tomatoes and mozzarella.

  3. Add the dressing of your choice or use the recipe that follows. Start with about 1/2 cup. Toss well and add a little more dressing if you feel it needs it. Add the torn basil and gently toss again. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Allow the salad to sit for 15-20 minutes to get everything well acquainted.

  4. Toss once more, check your easonings and dressing, then garnish with the reserved basil leaves. Serve.

Any vinaigrette that you love will work in this recipe. Here is one that I love. It is lemony, garlicky and bursting with herbs.

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Mediterranean Vinaigrette

A twist on the classic vinaigrette with plenty of lemon and more than a hint of garlic. Add any fresh herbs of your choice. This is wonderful on a Greek salad, but it would be equally delightful as a dressing for grilled vegetable or a pasta salad. It makes a great marinade as well.

Ingredients
  • 1 Medium Lemon Juice and zest
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Grated
  • 2 Tbsp. White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes Optional, to taste
  • 3 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Herbs Parsley, thyme, basil, or you choice
  • Kosher Salt and Pepper To taste
  • 1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
  • 1/3-1/2 Cup Olive oil
Instructions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until completely blended. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

 

Here’s to the end of summer and to peppers and panzanella.

Bring on Fall…Spinach Alfredo Casserole

There are signs of Fall all around us. The trees (those that can) are beginning to show their autumn paletes of red and gold. The vibrant petunias and impatiens of Summer are being replaced by more subtly colored and hardier mums. Squirrels are hunting and burying with gusto. Kitchens are beginning to fire up the ovens as often as firing up the grill.

In case you haven’t guessed, I love Fall. It is my favorite time of year. Those of you who only know it is Fall by the month on the calendar or the inexplicable appearance of pumpkin spice everything, are missing quite an experience. Whatever the weather is where you are, it is time to think about making those comfort filled one dish wonders, casseroles.

Here is one to get your autumnal juices flowing. This starts quite simply with penne pasta as a base, but any cut pasta would do. Baby spinach and crimini mushrooms team up with onion and garlic to give some plant presence to the dish.

The sauce is Alfredo. You can make this sauce, and it is really quite easy, or you could buy pre-made sauce which is even easier. I am not a proponent of prepared foods in general, but once in a while it doesn’t compromise my integrity too much to reach for a jar or carton. Find one with an ingredient list that has things you can easily identify and not too many non-food additives. They are out there.

The vegetables were sautéed in a little olive oil, taking turns based on cooking time. Once everything was as it should be, the sauce was added. Once it was at a bubble some asiago cheese went in. Th penne was added and everything went into a good-sized casserole.

I gave it a blanket of cheesy breadcrumbs and let it bake until it displayed all of the requisite casserole characteristics; bubbly edges and golden brown crust. It was delicious, it made the house smell wonderful, and it was the perfect comfort food for the first chilly night of the season.

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Spinach Alfredo Casserole


Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 8 Ounces Penne Pasta Any cut pasta will work
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Mediium Onion Chopped
  • 8 Ounces Crimini Mushrooms sliced
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Chopped
  • 6 Ounces Baby Spinach Chopped
  • 1-1/2 Cups Alfredo Sauce Home made or prepeared
  • 1/3 Cup Milk More or less as needed
  • Salt and Pepper To Taste
  • 4 Ounces Grated Asiago Cheese
  • 3/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
  • 1 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. Butter
Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water 2 minutes less than the box directs. Drain and put in a 2 quart casserole dish that has been generously sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Prepare the sauce while the past cooks

  2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil swirling to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the skillet and cook another 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

  4. Add the spinach and toss well to combine. Cook 3 - 4 minutes until the spinach begins to wilt. Stir in the Alfredo sauce and continue to cook until it comes to a bubble, stirring often. If the sauce seems thick, add the milk a little at a time until you have a medium thick sauce.

  5. Turn the heat to low and add the Asiago cheese. Stir until it is completely melted. Taste and add salt and pepper as you need. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to completely combine.

  6. Melt the butter and stir in the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese . Toss until the crumbs are well coated. Sprinkle on the top of the casserole.

  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. The crumbs should be brown and the sauce should be bubbly. Allow to rest a few minutes before serving.

Fall likes to take its time around here. Right now it feels far more summer like. We all know that this is only a fleeting event and soon the weather will demand something from the oven. This casserole is a good place to start.