Potato and Red Pepper Frittata

According to Martha Stewart this dish is based on tortilla Española. In Spain, it is traditionally accompanied by garlic mayonnaise—but it is also delicious served on its own. You can use leftover boiled or baked potatoes in place of the raw ones. Simply slice them, and add to the onion mixture at the end of step 2.

It's okay if the potatoes do not cook evenly. Some will be browned; some will only be translucent.

I have tried substituting the red pepper with other vegetables, and they turn out to be great also.

Enjoy:)

POTATO AND RED-PEPPER FRITTATA

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, stem, ribs, and seeds removed, then thinly sliced in strips
2 russet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into thin slices
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. In an 8-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in skillet. Add potatoes; season generously with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, tossing often, until potatoes are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to bowl with onion mixture; toss to combine. Return mixture to skillet; flatten with a metal spatula.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Pour over potato mixture; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into wedges, and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Roasted Red Pepper with Feta Dip

This is a very tasty dip from Bon Appetit. But you can add or make some small changes to it to make it even more tastier:)

Try roasting the garlic before adding it, it makes the taste smoother and the garlic doesn't overpower the dip.

If you like heat, add some cayenne, if you want some tanginess add some lemon, and if you want it to have some herbs, add dill or oregano.

I have tried all of these and I like them all:)

Crudités and toasted pita triangles are good dippers for this. You can also try veggies such as cucumbers or carrots.

ROASTED RED PEPPER WITH FETA DIP

Ingredients:
4 red bell peppers
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Char peppers directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides.

Enclose in paper bag 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and quarter peppers.

Puree peppers, oil, garlic, and cheese in processor. Season with salt and pepper.

Chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna with Puttanesca Sauce and Pesto Oil

I'm back from my wonderful vacation/honeymoon and here we go again:)

This is a huge, time consuming, easy and very very tasty recipe from Emeril. But you can just use the idea and take shortcuts:)

You can buy the vegetables roasted at most Whole Foods, and you can definitely buy puttanesca sauce ready. But the oil makes this lasagna, so do prepare this yourself.

These cut the cooking time shorter, but of course doesn't taste as good as you have made it from scratch. But I usually don't like spending 3 hours in the kitchen unless it's a very special day. That's just me:)

If I'm making this from scratch, I do skip the anchovies because I don't like them, and it still comes out good.

You can prepare the recipe with the same amounts and cook in two batches. You can always freeze the second batch and throw it in the oven in the future.

GRILLED VEGETABLES LASAGNA WITH PUTTANESCA SAUCE AND PESTO OIL

Ingredients:
2 pounds ricotta
1 teaspoon salt
Pesto Oil, recipe follows
Puttanesca Sauce, recipe follows

1 1/4 pounds lasagna noodles
Grilled Vegetables, recipe follows

8 ounces mozzarella, coarsely grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl mix the ricotta cheese with salt and half a cup of Pesto Oil.

Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish, then spoon 1/2 cup of Puttanesca Sauce onto the bottom of the dish. Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the lasagna with a layer of ricotta, then a layer of eggplant, zucchini, onion and red pepper, a layer of grated mozzarella, and a layer of puttanesca sauce.

Repeat layering the lasagna, ricotta, vegetables, mozzarella and sauce in this manner until all ingredients have been used, ending with mozzarella on top.

Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving, drizzled with some of the remaining pesto oil.

PUTTANESCA SAUCE:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
6 cloves minced garlic
2 (28-ounce) cans Roma plum tomatoes, broken into pieces, with juice
1 cup tightly packed, pitted, chopped Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons (about 8) minced anchovy fillets
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed basil
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

Directions:
In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and simmer until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, about 40 minutes.

Adjust seasoning to taste, cover and set aside.

PESTO OIL

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender place the garlic and basil and process on high while adding the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue to process until well blended, season with salt to taste and set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.

GRILLED VEGETABLES

Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
4 red or yellow bell peppers, roasted, seeded and peeled
2 medium eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Light the grill or pre-heat the broiler.

In a large shallow bowl, toss the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper and onion with the oil and salt.
If using the broiler, arrange the vegetables in a single layer on 2 lightly greased or non-stick baking sheets. Grill or broil in batches, turning the vegetables once, until they are tender, lightly browned, and have released most of their moisture, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.

Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Bacon Dressing and Pine Nuts

This is an exceptionally easy recipe to make from Bon Appetit. And it complements most anything you serve it with.

I add some crumbled feta cheese and serve it with some french bread slices, and it can become a main dish. And sometimes I add this to cooked white pinto beans, and it makes a low carb diet dish, but of course you should skip the bacon:) Use balsamic vinegar instead. Yummy...

You can roast the peppers in advance and then freeze them for later use. Just let it thaw to room temperature by itself. So you can make this even for just two and save the rest of the roasted peppers.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SALAD WITH BACON DRESSING AND PINE NUTS

Ingredients:
4 medium-size red bell peppers
4 medium-size yellow bell peppers
8 bacon slices (about 8 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
Char peppers over open flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Transfer peppers to large bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and seed peppers. Cut peppers into 1/3-inch-wide strips; place in medium bowl. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add garlic and crushed red pepper to drippings in skillet and stir until garlic begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add thyme and stir 10 seconds. Stir in vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour warm dressing over peppers in bowl.

Crumble bacon and add to peppers along with pine nuts; toss to coat. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Feta Cheese

This recipe is from a Turkish web site called Portakalagaci. The presentation looked so good to me that I had to try it. It takes some time to prepare it, but it's still very easy to make.

I've made some changes to the original recipe which used just some olive oil for the dressing. I always use some balsamic vinegar which makes it tangy. And I have a choice of cheeses that I use. Original recipe is with feta cheese, but goat cheese or Ricotta cheese work just as well.

Feel free to substitute the nuts too, the original is with walnuts, but almonds also give this recipe a nice bite. Or use fresh dill instead of using parsley as in the original recipe. I'm more partial to dill when it comes to using it with cheese, so I usually end up using dill.

These make great leftovers that you can keep around for a day or two.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SALAD WITH FETA CHEESE

Ingredients:
8 Red Peppers (The long kind, not the round ones)
4-5 Scallions
1,5 cups Feta Cheese, grated or crumbled
1 cup walnuts, crushed to medium size pieces
1/2 cup dill, chopped
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Roast the peppers in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes watching them closely so that they don't go limp.

Meanwhile prepare the filling using the cheese, walnuts, and dill.

Boil some water and keep the scallions in it to get them to soften. As soon as they are ready, move them into a cold water bath to stop them from cooking further. Cut them into halves lengthwise.

When peppers are ready, put some filling to the wider end, and roll tightly.

Use the scallions to tie them around the peppers tightly, this will ensure them from becoming undone.

Pour the dressing over and serve.