Red Pepper-Onion Roasted Potatoes

Peppadew peppers, apparently found wild in Africa late last century, are supposed to be found pickled in jars or cans, maybe even in bulk in the deli case. Mild to hot, I guess they look like a cross between a red bell pepper and a cherry tomato. I searched the canned fruit/vegetable aisle, the end-caps of the big bins of the fruit and vegetable stands in the produce section, and in the condiment section amongst the pickles and pepper rings of three different grocery stores and came up empty-handed. If you plan ahead, you can order them. I executed the following recipe and simply omitted the six Peppadew's called for.

Red Pepper-Onion Roasted Potatoes
adapted from Cooking Club, Winter 2014
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6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick)
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1 1/4-inch wedges
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Combine oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.


Toss potatoes, onion, and bell pepper in oil mixture.


Arrange on large rimmed baking sheet.


Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, lightly browned and peppers are lightly charred.



As with any roasted vegetables, tossing them in salted/peppered olive oil before spreading them across a big sheet and cooking at high heat yields tender, slightly sweetened, delicious veg. I didn't miss the Peppadew peppers but did wonder what they'd bring to the table. If I come across them in the future, I'll try this again.

Cost:

• Yukon gold potatoes: $2.50
• sweet onion: $0.95
• red bell pepper: $1.50
• extra-virgin olive oil: $0.14

Total: $5.09 or about $0.85 for each of 6 servings

Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole, Gluten Free

Green Bean Casserole before covering and refrigerating for the potluck.

I think green bean casserole is disgusting. I didn't want to make any green bean casserole, even if it's Alton Brown's. There was a vote for me to do this one though; I was stuck. To make this gluten-free for the potluck, I skipped the panko and replaced regular flour with Pamela's Artisan Blend.

Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole, Gluten Free
adapted from Food Network

For the topping:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
heaping 1/4 c Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend
1 tsp kosher salt
Nonstick spray

For beans:
1 lb fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
1 gallon water
2 tbsp kosher salt

For sauce:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
12 oz mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 tbsp Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend
1 c chicken stock
1 c half-and-half

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.


Add onions and toss to combine.


Coat a sheet pan with nonstick spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan.


Bake in the oven until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for approximately 30 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use.

Onion rings after 10, 20, and 33 minutes of baking.

Turn the oven down to 400°F.

Meanwhile bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan.


Blanch beans for 3-5 minutes.

The recipe said 5 minutes; I let mine go for only 3 minutes. 

Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat.


Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Mine cooked 4 minutes before the mushrooms began releasing their juice.

Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 3 minutes.


Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.


Add the stock and simmer for 1 minute.


Add the half-and-half and cook until the mixture thickens, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.


Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans.


Top with the remaining onions.

Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

But because I was bringing this dish for a potluck, I transferred the green bean mix to a 7x11" baking dish, then topped it with remaining onions before covering and refrigerating.


At work I threw the dish into the desk-top/counter-top broiler until it was heated through, about 30 minutes.


Some of those that ate it said they liked it and some of them didn't have a comment. Most people didn't try it, myself included. It's green bean casserole, so I'm not surprised. I will never do this again; I don't care who votes for it.

Cost:

• onions: $0.59
• Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend: $0.26
• fresh green beans: $0.95
• unsalted butter: $0.05
• mushrooms: $1.73
• garlic: $0.10
• chicken stock: $0.16
• half-and-half: $0.90

Total: $4.74 or about $0.79 for each of six servings.

Herb-Roasted Squash and Leeks

Running low on side dishes, it's time to fire this one up so I can keep the full-plate Thanksgiving-style dinners happening. I like butternut squash and I like leeks (the leek part was a little surprising) so this roasted vegetable dish sounded like a good one.

Herb-Roasted Squash and Leeks
from Cooking Club
click to print

1/4 c olive oil
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp pepper
2 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed (1 1/2 inches) (6 cups)
4 large leeks, sliced

Heat oven to 400°F.

Combine oil, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl.


Toss butternut squash and leeks in oil mixture.


Spread on large rimmed baking sheet.


Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and slightly browned, stirring occasionally.



Slightly browned is exactly what the vegetables looked like at the end. Very slightly browned. And I'll tell you right now that the goal for cutting butternut squash is to aim for even-sized pieces, however big or small they wind up. Then, cut the leeks accordingly. My leek pieces were more wilted than some of the butternut squash pieces were soft. Regardless, the seasonings were tip-top. Honestly though, this recipe doesn't top the squash and Brussels sprouts recipe and I am beginning to doubt any will.

Cost:

• olive oil: $0.88
• fresh rosemary leaves: $1.29
• butternut squash: $2.39
• leeks: $2.99

Total: $7.55 or about $0.94 for each of eight servings.

Tee's Corn Pudding

Ok, so let's see. Creamed corn has corn and cream in it and tastes good but has a gross soupy texture. A corn pudding has corn and cream but I'm betting there won't be runny milk at the bottom. This is so exciting!

Tee's Corn Pudding
adapted slightly from MyRecipes
click to print

11 to 13 ears fresh corn, husks removed
1/4 c sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, melted
2 c whipping cream
6 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut kernels from cobs into a large bowl (about 6 cups). Scrape milk and remaining pulp from cobs; discard cobs.

I used a giant bowl and put my smallest cutting board in it at an angle. I held the corn perpendicular to the board and cut from tip to bottom; the kernels fell into the bowl. No giant mess.

Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.


Whisk together butter, whipping cream, and eggs in a large bowl.

Normally you'd beat the eggs first, then added cream and melted butter. I'm the dishwasher around here so I melted the butter in the big bowl and then added cream and the eggs, saving me from having an extra dish to wash. It took a minute to chase the eggs around and get 'em all beaten but my new whip is indeed bad ass!

Gradually add sugar mixture to egg mixture, whisking until smooth.


Stir in corn.


Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

I don't know if the corn would eventually settle out in the dish but I helped it out by sort of swishing the corn around in the liquid so it was more evenly distributed.

Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes.



The pudding turned out to be very pretty with just a slight crust on top. And I was right! You get the creamy goodness and all of the corn delight without soup. Plus it was so easy to make! Winner!

Cost:

• fresh corn: $8.69
• sugar: $0.24
• all-purpose flour: $0.02
• butter: $0.20
• whipping cream: $1.93
• eggs: $1.95

Total: $12.83 or about $1.60 for each of 8 generous servings.