A Week of Cooking With Peppers!

Romesco, Lutanisa, A Gently Spiced Beef Stew

Waiting for red peppers to appear in Michigan may just one of the most torturous events on the seasonal food calendar. It is almost cruel the way tomato and pepper seasons just barely overlap as one comes in and the other leaves, but for a few short weeks the cross-over between the two makes the wait worthwhile.

This year I have been remembering my love of red pepper sauces. In particular Romesco, the Spanish sauce made from grilled peppers and nuts- usually hazelnuts or almonds. As well as Lutanisa, the Bulgarian version of eggplant and red pepper sauce found in many regions across the Black Sea, the difference being that Lutanisa also contains tomato. Both of these sauces use grilled peppers as well as roasted tomatoes, so I made them both at the same time- they are different enough to warrant making them both, especially if you love a good saucey/dippy thing thrown onto most every meal as I do!

Romesco is especially good on the side of roast chicken or a nice piece of grilled firm fish such as swordfish, or with grilled or roasted vegetables. This week I made a pot of beans cooked with fennel stalks (which were removed after cooking), I then sautéed some finely chopped leeks and added the beans and enough chicken broth to cover to make a wonderfully simple-yet-complex brothy bean stew. I served it with a dollop of Romesco on top and some good toasted bread on the side, delicious! Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth or just the bean cooking liquid for a fantastic “accidentally vegan” meal.

Lutanisa is good on everything! Especially banica (the Bulgarian version of borek) or bread with some feta, herbs such as parsley, mint or dill and a few roasted vegetables. It would be fantastic on the side of the greens and feta pie or with some grilled meat or kofte. I was told by friend Diljana that in Bulgaria, the making of Lutanisa is reserved largely for people who live in the country as the grilling of the peppers is done on such a large scale, on a special outdoor grill that takes many hours. This is obviously a quick home-scale substitute for the real thing!

Romesco (top) and Lutanisa (bottom)

A perfect laste summer plate featureing romesco, lutanisa, minted garlic yogurt, grilled baby leeks and roasted baby eggplant.

Mezze with beans cooked with leeks and chicken broth and some good toast. Yum.

Romesco

makes 1 cup

2 red bell peppers (capsicum)- or use 1 bell pepper (capsicum) plus a couple of smaller sweet red peppers such as Carmen or Jimmy Nardello

4 tomatoes

1/2 cup hazelnuts

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika

2T olive oil

1T sherry vinegar

• Grill the peppers over a gas flame until very charred all over. Alternately you could cook them under a broiler (grill), turning occasionally until blackened all over. Immediately place them into a container with a tight fitting lid or a plastic bag. Allow to steam for half an hour or so or until cool enough to handle.

• Meanwhile, prepare the other vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on their size and shape. Place into a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt. Roast until the tomatoes have softened and are just starting to brown- about 20-30 minutes.

• Peel the peppers and remove the seeds- this can be a bit tedious, but don’t be tempted to run it under water or you will loose all the flavour. Better to have a little skin and burnt flecks left on them than wash it all away, in fact some burnt skin remaining is inevitable and adds flavour and character.

• Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 7-8 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown. If the nuts have skins on them place in a kitchen towel as soon as you remove them from the oven and rub with the towel to remove the skins.

• In the bowl of a food processor, place the peppers, tomato (and any juices), hazelnuts, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and sherry vinegar. Blend until everything comes together, add the oil in a steady stream towards the end of blending. Taste and adjust as needed- add more salt, vinegar or paprika if you feel it needs it.

• Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to relax and develop before enjoying. Refrigerate up to 5 days.

Romesco and Lutanisa ready to be spooned onto eggs, sandwiches, grilled meats and salad bowls all week!