Braised Lamb with Radishes and Mint (and Anchovies, but Don�t Tell Anyone)

I had a fantastic appetizer recently featuring lamb belly, radishes, anchovies, and mint, which inspired today�s post. It sounded amazing, but I�d only glanced at the description, so when it came, I was more than a little surprised to see the radishes were fully cooked.

This was a new one for me, and I absolutely loved it. Like most root vegetables, radishes don�t have a ton of flavor, but I found them slightly sweet, earthy (duh), and aromatic. Plus, they seemed to have effectively absorbed all the other flavors in the dish.

One thing led to another, and I adapted the approach to create one of the more interesting and delicious things I�ve had in a while. I called it a �flavor bomb� in the video, but �umami bomb� would be more accurate. This was as savory, as savory gets.

Because of all the sweet flavors going on, I decided not to add any sauteed onions or garlic, which is contrary to most braised meat recipes. It probably wouldn�t have hurt anything, and I might try it next time, but to be honest, this came out so perfectly balanced, that I�m a little scared change anything.

And no, you can't taste the anchovies. That doesn't mean you should tell anyone they're in there, but I did want to mention, in case you're scared. I would like to thank Aatxe for the inspiration, and I really hope you give this strange, but exciting braised lamb dish and try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 4 Portions:

4  lamb shoulder chops (10-12 ounces each)

1 tablespoon kosher salt (or about 2 tsp of table salt)

1 teaspoon black  pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

4 oil-packed anchovy fillets

1 1/2 cups low-sodium or no sodium chicken broth (the anchovies and spice rub on the lamb usually provide enough salt, plus you can add at the end after sauce is reduced)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 bunches breakfast radishes, trimmed

2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
5 or 6 fresh mint leaves finely sliced

1 tbsp cold butter

- Braise at 275 F. for about 3 hour , or until meat is just barely tender, then finish at 425 F. to brown. Serve with de-fatted and reduced sauce.

A Spring Vegetable Frittata for Mother

It always feels a little wrong making a frittata with freshly cooked vegetables, since the whole point of the dish is to use up leftovers, but seeing as we�re branding this as a Mother�s Day brunch special, we�ll make an exception.

If you want to play it safe, you can cook each vegetable separately, but that takes longer than the one-after-the-other method shown here. Like I said in the video, this is a great practice recipe for new cooks, since you really have to pay attention to what�s happening in the pan. I said to use medium heat, but you may want to adjust that up and down, depending on what you see happening.

Make sure all your vegetables are tender, hot, and well seasoned before adding your eggs, and not a lot can go wrong. Once those, and hopefully some cheese, get stirred in, turn off the heat, and pop the pan into the oven until the eggs are set. If your mom likes golden-brown, you can use the optional broiling step seen herein.

If you decide to garnish with edible flowers, make sure you�re actually using edible flowers. Nothing puts a damper on a Mother�s Day brunch like a trip to the emergency room. If you use nasturtium you�ll be safe, otherwise, do some research. I really hope you give this delicious vegetable frittata a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 6 large portions:
2 tbsp olive oil

1 leek, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded, diced

1 1/2 cups sliced asparagus

1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini

handful baby spinach

1 1/2 cups sliced cooked potatoes

12 large eggs

1 tsp salt, plus more as needed to taste while cooking veggies

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

4 ounces goat milk feta, or your favorite cheese

350 F. for about 15 minutes, or until just set, then broil on high for 1-2 minutes for some color

Spring Pea Green Curry with Black Cod and Strawberry � Channeling My Inner Spa Chef

I�ve always loved green curries, but until a recent visit to Al�s Place, I�d never thought of using fresh, sweet peas as the base. It was amazing, and after only a few bites I knew I'd steal this idea and make it my own. Sorry, Al.

Their version featured pickled strawberries, but I decided to try a different approach, and used diced, fresh berries instead. I didn�t use any palm sugar or coconut milk, so the sweetness they provided paired perfectly with the brightly seasoned sauce.

As I mentioned in the video, I used a jarred curry paste, Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, to be exact, and it works just fine. It contains green chili, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, salt, shallot, pepper, coriander, cumin, and kaffir lime, which is pretty much what you�d grind up to make a fresh green curry.

Next time I�ll make the paste from scratch just to see how much better it is, but I have to admit, the trade-off in time and effort is pretty attractive. Speaking of attractive, this lovely bowl of spring goodness sure would look good on your table, so I hope you give this spring pea green curry a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 appetizer-sized portions:

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons green curry paste, plus more to taste

2 cups chicken broth

1 pound trimmed sugar snap peas, snow peas, or English peas

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 pound boneless black cod (aka butterfish or sablefish), but into eight 2-oz pieces, skin scored 1/8^th inch deep

4 tablespoons diced strawberry

2 teaspoons mint chiffonade

Snail-less-cargo � April Fools?

In case you�re wondering if I thought of the name first, and then developed the recipe, I think we both know the answer to that question. That said, I really thought I could pull it off.

The old clich� when it comes escargot is that it�s really just an excuse to eat garlic butter, and that the snail is just some sort of flavorless delivery system. Turns out that�s not the case. This suffered from a lack of meaty earthiness the escargot provides.

Like I said in video, if I make this again, I will caramelize the mushrooms in a pan, which I�m sure would help.  Or, maybe I�ll just use snails. Speaking of which, feel free to use this exact technique with actual escargot, as everything other than the mushroom was spot on. You can find those online, along with the other special items you�ll need, such as the shells, the pan, the tongs, and the forks.

So, whether you use mushrooms or snails, and please don�t use mushrooms, I really hope you give this classic French appetizer a try soon. No joke. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 40 shells:

20 large brown mushrooms, halved

3 cups water

few pieces of nori seaweed

1 teaspoon miso

1 tablespoon soy sauce

salt to taste
40 extra-large escargot shells

For the butter:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

4-6 cloves finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 or 2 teaspoons Pernod

- Bake at 450 F. for 10-12 minutes

Celebrating National Meatball Day

Tomorrow is National Meatball Day, and to commemorate I wanted to post something really delicious, and incredibly ironic. These meatless meatballs are both.

That's right, we're going to celebrate National Meatball Day with a meat-free version that will have your guests wondering if they heard you correctly. Thanks to the magic of mushrooms, these really are amazing, and garner rave reviews from our vegetarian friends...okay, friend, but still. You can follow this link to read the original post and get the ingredient amounts. Enjoy!

Bagna Cauda � A Real Bathing Beauty

I�m more of a shower guy, but Bagna Cauda is one �hot bath� I�ll take any time. While this qualifies as a warm dip, it has nothing in common with the typical versions that will grace snack tables across America this Sunday.

It doesn�t contain pounds of melted cheese, or come in a bread bowl, but what it does have going for it, is simple, rustic goodness, and proven crowd appeal. Besides, unlike those other "hot dips," this one actually stays hot.

If there were ever a recipe to tweak to your own tastes, it�s this one. You can adjust the amounts of garlic and anchovy, as well as the proportion of olive oil to butter. You can also control how long you cook the mixture before it�s presented.

I think about five minutes is perfect, but many people cook it much longer. Other than that, the hardest part of this recipe is deciding on what to drunk in this ancient dip. Anything goes, but as I mentioned in the video, some chunks of crusty bread are highly recommended. I hope you give this bagna cauda a try soon. Enjoy!

UPDATE: I'm hearing from my friends in Northern Italy that they use TWICE as much anchovy and garlic as I did. So, be advised. 
 
Ingredients for 1 1/4 cup Bagna Cauda

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

6-8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

6-8 anchovy filets

2 tsp red wine vinegar

chili flakes to taste

Going Butternuts

I�m not sure when National Butternut Squash Day is, or if that�s even a thing, but if it is, I bet it�s right around this time of year. Things like sweet corn and vine-ripened tomatoes are now a distant memory (except in bad restaurants where they just serve that stuff all year anyway), but thankfully we have this delicious and nutritious winter alternative to tide us over.

My friend Carl Hanson has put together a great collection called, �One Winter Veggie, 11 Deliciously Inventive Recipes,� which I invite you to check out. You�ll see a few old Food Wishes favorites, as well as some new offerings. Enjoy!
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Cauliflower!!!!!

When was the last time you were really excited about cauliflower in a recipe? Never? That is correct. We would have also accepted, �Are you kidding?� and, �What?� However, my friend Carl Hanson put together a great collection called, �Undercover Cauliflower�Dressed Up In 10 Delicious Disguises,� which may change all that.

Several of these ideas, including our own Cauliflower Pizza Crust, could generate actual excitement, or at the very least a raised eyebrow. If you think your heart can handle it, click here and all will be revealed. Enjoy!

Truffled Cauliflower Gratin � Now 100% Truffle Oil Free

This cauliflower gratin would typically be �truffled� with truffle oil, but I�ve never been a big fan. Truffle oils are almost always synthetically produced, one-dimensional, and way too overpowering. 

So, in this otherwise humble gratin, we�re going to use another, much more delicious delivery system�truffle pecorino. For less than $10 worth of cheese, I think you can get a much nicer, truer truffle flavor � plus, it�s cheese. By the way, if you know they actually make this cheese with synthetic truffle oil, please keep it to yourself, and don't spoil it for me. 

This stuff is pretty easy to find in fancy grocery stores with decent sized cheese departments, but if you can�t, I�ve seen it online at even better prices.

It�s worth the effort to find, and turns this already great casserole into something truly special, and with side dish season in full swing, I really hope you consider giving this truffled cauliflower gratin a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6-8 Portions

6 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1 tsp salt or to taste

pinch of cayenne

pinch of nutmeg

5 to 6 oz wedge of truffle pecorino, grated

1 large head of cauliflower

2 tbsp breadcrumbs

freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano as needed

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

a few fresh chives to garnish

Celery Root Puree � Come for the Flavor, Stay for the Low Carbs

As promised, here�s the celery root pur�e seen underneath our recently posted crispy pork belly video. To be honest, I�m not a huge root vegetable guy, but celeriac, as it�s called in certain parts, is something I really enjoy. Plus, I�m a sucker for ugly produce.

I joked in the video that celery root tastes like celery, if celery actually tasted good, and for the most part this is true. The flavor is quite mild and pleasant, and the texture is somewhat similar to mashed potatoes. Considering this stuff is only about 5% starch, somewhat similar it�s pretty good.

This simple puree is a very versatile side dish, but the tasty root will also work sliced thin and layered in a gratin, either with or without the aforementioned potatoes. I hope you give this great fall and winter vegetable a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1 large celery root, about 1 pound

1 lemon

salt to taste

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup cream or milk, or as needed to adjust texture

cayenne to taste

Crispy Pork Belly with Celery Root Puree � Three Fats Beat as One

Thanks to social media, food bloggers, and celebrity chefs with too much time on their hands, pork belly was/is all the rage. It�s a common site on menus across the land, and you can�t channel surf past a food show without seeing it.

It also helps that people are no longer terrified to eat a little fat, and that�s what I�m banking on with this pork belly recipe. Yep, turns out sugar and the simple carbs do the real damage, so belly up to the bar. Sure, the fat content is a tad high, but it�s no different than that your average sausage link, and when paired with a tart, aromatic, root vegetable puree, it doesn�t feel heavy.

In fact, I use a touch of extra virgin olive oil to accent the meat and celery root. Celeriac is delicious, but fat free, and even though I added a little butter, the grassy, peppery oil lends a bracing richness. The same goes for the crispy-edged pork belly, and the dish provides an opportunity to enjoy three great fats doing three different things. I thought this was amazing.

I recommend getting your pork belly with the skin removed. It can get supper tough, and I prefer to work with it on it�s own (see Chicharr�n). We still get plenty of crispy goodness, and I want nice, tender, succulent bites; not something that�s work to chew.

As I mentioned, I will show you the celery root recipe in the next video, so stay tuned for that. If you just can�t wait, I�m happy to report that this can be served with all your favorite pork chop sauces and sides, so feel free to jump the gun, or root in this case. I hope you give this great fall appetizer a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 appetizer-sized portions :

1  1/2 pound pork belly, skin removed

season generously with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika

- Wrap as show and roast for 6 hours at 200 F. (*Note: I said 5 1/2 in the video, but my pork was almost room temp, so I�m adding 30 minutes since most people will use chilled meat)

- Chill, cut into serving sized pieces and crisp up in reserved fat before serving

Fire-Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa � Tastily Teasing Forward

Sorry to spoil the surprise, but I just had to give away the fact that this delicious fire-roasted cherry tomato salsa was created to go alongside some pork carnitas we�ll be posting next. They made such an incredible pairing, I was tempted to post it all together, but then I remembered it was Friday, and there was a baseball game coming on.

Speaking of which, whether you end up making the carnitas or not, this gorgeous salsa would shine on any big-game snack table. The fire-roasting brings out a tremendous amount of flavor, and provides just the right touch of smoky goodness. I�m sure your friends are more than happy with the jarred stuff, but once in a while it�s nice to see if they�re paying attention.

You�ll want the flame of your broiler (or electric heating element) about 3-4 inches above the food, which may or may not be how far away your top rack is. If it�s too close, just use the next rack down, and use a pan like I did in the video to get it to the correct height.

By the way, I know eating �burned� foods mean ingesting carcinogenic materials, but I don�t care. This is no different than eating grill marks on a steak, or the crispy blackened ends on a brisket, and I�m not about to stop eating those things, so why would a few spoons of this scare me?

Anyway, stay tuned for the pork carnitas video, and in the meantime, I hope you give this fire-roasted cherry tomato salsa a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredient for about 2 cups of salsa:
2 tsp olive oil

1 generous pint cherry tomatoes (Sweet 100�s if you can find them)

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

8 whole cloves garlic, unpeeled

3 jalapenos, sliced
juice of a lime, or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

pinch dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried cumin

packed 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Bread & Butter Pickles � One of the Great Depression�s Greatest Hits

During the Great Depression, sandwiches weren�t quite what they are today. Forget about choice of aioli, or did you want roast tri tip or smoked turkey; back then it was more like, �Did you want cucumbers in your sandwich, or nothing in your sandwich?� Okay, cucumbers it is.

At the end of summer, the excess "cuc" crop was sliced, salted, pickled, and put up in jars for the cold, lean months ahead. If you thought summer Depression-era sandwiches sucked, it was much worse in winter, when you couldn�t even find a bland vegetable to slap between your slices of buttered bread.

I can just imagine what a treat it must have been to fill a sandwich with these sweet crunchy coins, or "bread and butter pickles," as they came to be known. I�m sure it was a wonderful break from what must have been a fairly flavorless existence. Happily, times are a bit better now, and we only make these because they taste really good.

So, make a batch, experience a little piece of American culinary history, and as you�re tossing them on that burger, think back to what those days must have been like. I mean, especially with no YouTube! I hope you give these bread & butter pickles  a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 pints:
2 lbs pickling or other firm, little cucumbers

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

2 red jalapeno pepper, sliced

3 tbsp kosher salt

2 cups sugar

2 cups white distilled vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 tsp black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, sliced

Easy �Squeezy� Corn on the Cobb

I saw this technique on the Huffington Post a while back, and while it wasn�t the first time I�d seen, or used the micro-method, it was the first time I�d seen it in video form, thanks to the lovely and talented, Carl Blemming. By the way, I�m assuming Huff Po didn�t pay him anything for it, so to make up for that, neither will we.

This proves something that I�ve known for years�no matter how great a kitchen technique is, unless you use it regularly, you�ll forget about it. Usually, as soon as I get home from the store, I shuck the corn, and go from there, but as soon as I saw that ear go into Carl�s microwave, it all came back. Now I can forget about it all over again.

I�ve heard through the grapevine that some other food channels have also published this �hack� recently, but since I don�t watch anyone else, I can�t confirm those reports, but I couldn't have been the only one. The point is, it works. It works perfectly, and I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Under My Panzanella, ella, ella, ella�

I�ve never been a big fan of panzanella salad. I love the flavors in the dish, but stale, soggy bread just isn�t something I crave. The sogginess is understandable, as this dish was invented as a way to ingest rock-hard bread, but now that we�re just making it for fun, and not to avoid starvation, we can tweak a few things for texture�s sake.

The key is frying the bread cubes in loads of olive oil, in a skillet, which obviously makes them crispy, but the healthful fat also soaks in and renders them semi-waterproof, or should I say dressing-proof. The same goes for the dusting of Parmesan we apply halfway through.

You may be tempted to save some work and bake them in the oven, but don�t. By using the pan, you get nice, crispy surfaces, but the very center of the crouton stays just a touch chewy. The oven tends to dry the bread out, and you don�t get the same texture.

The gorgeous pool of tomato juices, oil, and wine vinegar will still soak in, and soften the bread, but you�ll still get a little crunch in each bite. For me this makes all the difference in the world. I know adding things like peppers, onions, and cucumbers is quite common, but I think they simply get in the way.

Having said that, it�s your �little swamp,� which is what �Panzanella� translates to, so throw in what you like. Speaking of which, I�m not giving ingredient amounts. I�ll give a ratio, and maybe a recommendation or two, but this isn�t the kind of recipe where you should be washing measuring cups and spoons. Taste and adust, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients:

(I like equal parts bread cubes to tomato salad)

For the bread:

stale bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, soaked well with olive oil

enough finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano to cover bread

-- fry until crispy and browned

For the tomato salad:

cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of sugar
a little minced garlic

equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil, to dress generously (add enough to create a very �swampy� mixture)

freshly sliced basil

�One Pan� Orecchiette with Sausage and Arugula � Perfect for People with Only One Pan

Okay, now all you broke college students can leave me alone (he said with a wink). This delicious orecchiette pasta recipe only has a handful of ingredients, is very cheap to make, and probably most importantly, only uses one pan or pot for the entire procedure.

Every year when it�s time to go back to school, I get inundated with requests from students to post recipes that are super easy, only cost pennies, and require a bare minimum of kitchen equipment. This should work.

And here�s a quick idea; the next time you're going out to get another tattoo, don't, and instead go buy something for your kitchen. Do this every-other time, and you�ll eventually have a nicely stocked kitchen, and still plenty of ink covering your body.

Anyway, back to the recipe! Cooking pasta in the pan with the other ingredients lets it absorb more flavor, and the starch it releases creates a very nice, rich, and comforting sauce. This does require you paying attention and constantly adjusting at the stove. You need to adjust your heat up and down, and also how much liquid you're putting in.

Speaking of liquid, only use stock or broth that�s homemade and has no salt in it, or a very low-sodium packaged broth. If you start with a seasoned stock it will be way too salty to eat when you're done. Otherwise, you should be in for an eye opening, or should I say ear opening, treat. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:
2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

8 ounces spicy Italian sausage

about 3 1/2 cups unsalted or low-sodium chicken broth

1 generous cup orecchiette pasta

salt to taste

2 large handfuls roughly chopped arugula or other greens (if using something like rapini, add earlier so it has time to cook through.

grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Bok Choy Steamed Rice � You Can Taste the Unconventional Wisdom

With all the fancy, grilled summer meats flying around, it�s easy to forget about the side dishes. Nobody wants to spend hours in the kitchen, when they could be outside playing volleyball in jhorts, but with this easy bok choy rice, you can have something way more interesting in the same time as it takes to make plain rice.

I believe we�ve covered this before, but yes, I�m cooking the stems about 15 minutes more than is fashionable. I love a crisp stalk of bok choy as much as the next guy, but here we kind of want it to melt into the rice. Conventional wisdom says to cook quick, but I wanted a softer, sweeter, and more subtly sulfuric grain. Think braised cabbage rolls if you�re still having a problem.

By the way, if your rice package says 2 parts water to 1 part rice, ignore it. Too much water is the main reason people screw up rice. I find 1 1/2 cups of water to each cup of long grain rice works way better, especially in dishes like this. So, ignore those directions, and give this delicious side a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 cup long grain rice

1 large bok choy, separated, and sliced

1 tsp soy sauce, plus more to taste

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp sambal chili sauce

toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Yuba Noodle Salad � Do You Believe in Miracles?

So many things are touted as �miracle foods� these days, but invariably you find out the claims were false, the benefits exaggerated, and that Dr. Oz was full of crap again. I sure hope that doesn�t turn out to be the case with these grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-cal, and quite delicious, yuba noodles.

You can use any dressings/garnishes you like, but I prefer these flavors, since texturally this closely resembles those wide, flat, Asian-style noodles we�ve all picked up from the neighborhood take-out place. Of course, those come loaded with massive amounts of bad carbs, a million calories, and enough MSG to choke a panda.

Occasionally, I have no problem with that, especially if I�ve been drinking, but generally this is a smarter option. Believe it or not, one giant portion of these noodles (not counting your dressing or sauce) only has 150 calories, just 7 grams of carbs, and almost no fat. So what�s the catch? It�s tofu.

But like pasta and noodles, tofu skin is very bland, so it�s really more about the texture, and being a �starchy� base for other ingredients, including non-vegan things like grilled chicken or shrimp. If you keep that in mind, I think you�ll really enjoy experimenting with this incredibly cool product. I hope you try this soon. Enjoy!

For 2 large portions Yuba Noodle Salad:

5 oz package yuba tofu skins, sliced into noodles

handful of carrot shavings

handful of thinly sliced cabbage

1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro leaves

1/4 sliced green onions

black sesame seeds

For the dressing (makes about 1 cup, about enough for 2 large salads):

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp fresh, finely grated ginger

1 tsp sambal chili sauce (or any hot ground chili sauce)

1/3 cup warm rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Spinach & Leek Torta di Riso � Open Recipe, Insert Vegetables

I made this delicious and rustic torta di riso with fresh spinach and leeks, but the recipe is a perfect catchall for those abundant summer vegetables. Things like eggplant, peppers, beans, and squash will all work beautifully. Just cut them kind of small, cook them tender, and let the rice, cheese, and eggs do the rest.

I also encourage the use of other cheeses with, or instead of the Parmigiano-Reggiano seen herein. Fontina would be a great choice, as would almost any other melty variety. You can also double the recipe and use a taller spring form pan, which will give you a taller and more authentic looking torta.

Speaking of authentic, this isn�t. Whether sweet or savory, these are usually done with some kind of crust, which I generally skip. It�s not like it�s bad with a crust, but it adds another step, and for me the payoff isn�t worth the extra time, work, and calories.

So, whether you�re making this to use up leftover rice and/or vegetable; or your playing the old �we�re having pie for dinner!� prank on your family, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed

3 cups chopped leeks (2 large leeks, about 1 cup saut�ed)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cooked rice

1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked spinach, squeezed very dry

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or other delicious cheese, plus more to dust pan and top

1 generous teaspoon fine salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

pinch nutmeg

- 350 degrees F. for 35 - 40 minutes

Sausage Stuffed Piquillo Peppers � Not So Rare Spanish Beauty

There�s nothing quite like the piquillo pepper. They�re sweet, fruity, slightly smoky, and just bitter enough. For me, they�re the San Marzano tomatoes of peppers. And while I enjoy them in literally anything, these delicate, triangular beauties are just made for stuffing.

I don�t think I�ve ever filled them the same way twice, and while this most recent exploration was quite amazing, who knows what the future will bring. Having said that, this one may be worth repeating. I loved this Spanish-inspired combination of flavors.

The thing to keep in mind is that since you�re only cooking these for about 20 minutes, you�ll want to stay away from things that take longer than that. Things like raw rice, or larger chunks of vegetables just won�t work well here. Thankfully that leaves like a thousand other possible ingredients, so you have that going for you.

These are surprisingly easy to find, and any high-end grocery store should stock them. Gourmet cheese shops almost always have them, and you can find them all over the Internet. If all else fails, ask any Spanish person living near you, and they will know. I hope you give these beautiful peppers a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Stuffed Piquillo Peppers:

12 Piquillo Peppers

olive oil, as needed

4 oz chorizo, Merguez sausage, or any spicy sausage meat

1/2 cup diced green onions

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cooked white long grain rice

2 oz goat cheese

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 tbsp parsley, plus more to garnish

cayenne to taste

1 tsp cumin
1 large egg

2 tbsp sliced or chopped almonds

1 tsp blood orange zest

1 tbsp blood orange juice

400 F. for 15-20 minutes