Week of April 26th

Stuffed Peppers

Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
4 large red, orange or yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped fennel bulb (about 1/2 a small bulb) or celery
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 small)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound ground beef (at least 15 percent fat), turkey, chicken or pork
3/4 cup dry white wine, chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup cooked white or brown rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus more for serving (optional)
1 cup shredded mozzarella, provolone or other semifirm cheese

Directions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and carefully remove core, seeds and ribs using a paring knife. Arrange the peppers, cut-sides up, in a 9-by-13-inch pan or other baking dish in which they fit snugly.
In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the fennel and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red-pepper flakes, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 3 to 5 minutes, until no longer pink.
Add 1/2 cup wine, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid in the pan is reduced by about half.
Add the tomatoes and their juices, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the rice, Parmesan and parsley, if using. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Divide the mixture among the peppers. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup wine into the bottom of the dish.
Wrap tightly with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a paring knife easily pierces the peppers.
Remove the foil and spoon any juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the pan onto the peppers.
Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly onto the peppers and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the mozzarella is melted and beginning to brown. Allow the peppers to cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve hot.

First of all, everyone needs to have a stuffed pepper recipe in their library. This may not end up being yours, but consider this a first step.

Having said that, stuffed peppers are kind a of a pain, because they traditionally require some small amount of cooked rice- in this case just one cup. Granted you can make just one cup of rice for this, but this whole thing works way better if you happen to have a cup of left over rice from earlier in the week.

Pasta with Roast Chicken, Currants and Pine Nuts

Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:
3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
Salt
freshly ground black pepper
Paprika
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ pounds dried pasta, preferably bucatini or linguine
2 teaspoons crumbled dried rosemary
½ cup dried currants or raisins
⅔ cup pine nuts, toasted
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange thighs in a large roasting pan, preferably nonstick. Thickly sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika, and dot with butter. Bake until just cooked through and skin is crisp (if oven has a convection feature, use it), about 35 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When chicken is done, let cool slightly, then use hands (rubber gloves are helpful) to pull meat and skin from bones, making bite-size pieces. Reserve meat and skin in roasting pan; discard bones.
Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook just until tender but not mushy. Reserving 1 cup cooking water, drain pasta and add to roasting pan with chicken meat and skin. Add 1/2 cup pasta cooking water to roasting pan on stovetop and turn heat to low.
Add rosemary, currants and pine nuts to roasting pan and toss, adding more salt and black pepper to taste, and more cooking water if mixture seems dry. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately in shallow bowls.

So this is a legitimately good recipe from NYT cooking, but there are couple of red flags. 1.5 lbs of pasta? Huge eye roll. Use Paprika's built-in scale tool to scale this by .75 and it will bring everything down to normal portions for 4 people. Also-"cook pasta until tender but not mushy"? If you're cooking pasta until mushy, you're in over your head here.

Anyway. If you're into bone-in chicken thighs then you're all set, but I prefer like 2lbs of boneless/skinless thighs for this. Remember- you can shred boneless chicken really nicely in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

Currants are a really a nice touch if you can find them.

Crab Cakes Baltimore-Style

Cook Time: 15 minutes | Servings: Yield 12 crab cakes

Ingredients:
2 large eggs, well beaten
½ cup chopped celery
1 cup crushed Saltine crackers
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
¼ teaspoon red hot pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley sprigs
½ cup finely chopped scallions
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound crab meat, lump preferred, shell and cartilage removed
½ cup finely ground fresh bread crumbs
¼ cup vegetable oil

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, celery, saltines, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay Seasoning, pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, scallions, salt and pepper, and blend well. Add the crab meat, folding it in lightly without breaking it up.
Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions. Shape them into hamburger-like patties. Dredge them lightly in the bread crumbs.
Heat approximately 2 tablespoons of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the crab cakes 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown, using the remaining 2 tablespoons oil if necessary. Drain on paper towels immediately.

There comes a time when every home cook discovers a 5+ year old, barely used can of old bay in their shelf. If you have been cooking long enough, you may even have two (2) cans of barely used old bay with one being so old you didn't even think to look before you bought the second one. If you have never had this happen, then you are going to start this journey today. Normally I would advise against this kind of pointless purchasing, but I think it's more or less a right of passage. You could also just sub paprika.

In case you have never purchased lump crab meat before, you usually find it in one pound refrigerated containers by the butcher. I don't know what they're talking about with the "shell and cartilage removed"- the stuff I get is either ready to go as is, or I can't tell the difference between shell and crab meat.

I serve these with tater tots- the Oreida extra crispy ones from the frozen food aisle- and mix a quick cocktail sauce with ketchup and prepared horseradish.

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Cheddar

Cook Time: 50 minutes | Servings: Yield 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each), scrubbed and dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
1 cup cooked black beans (if canned, rinsed and drained)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
Black pepper

Directions:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Halve sweet potatoes lengthwise, then brush all over with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt.
Place cut side down on prepared sheet and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Take sweet potatoes out of the oven, turn them over and let cool slightly. Use a fork to rough up the flesh and slightly flatten the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide half the cheese among the potato halves. Spoon the black beans over them, then cover with the remaining cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the beans have warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Spiced Grilled Halloumi

Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: Yield 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes (any variety), sliced 1/2-inch thick
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 (8- to 9-ounce) package halloumi, sliced 1/4- to 1/3-inch thick
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon granulated or Demerara sugar, plus more as needed

Directions:
Prepare a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking over medium-high heat by pouring the coals onto one half of the grill. For a gas grill, heat all of the burners to high, then turn off one of the end burners before cooking.
While the grill is heating, arrange the tomatoes on a platter with an edge to prevent leaking and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drizzle with olive oil. Set aside. Pat halloumi dry and drizzle with olive oil to coat on both sides. Set aside.
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red-pepper flakes, shaking often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and smash with the side of your knife until cracked. (You can also do this with a mortar and pestle.) Transfer to a small bowl, add the sugar, and rub with your fingers to further crush the seeds.
When you’re ready to grill, take the halloumi, tomatoes, seeds, tongs and a tightly folded paper towel soaked with olive oil to the grill. Clean the grates with a grill brush, then oil the grates with the paper towel. Grill the cheese over the flame, flipping halfway through, until well browned and it releases easily from the gates, 4 to 6 minutes total. (For a gas grill, close the lid between flips, listening and keeping an eye out for flare-ups.) If the cheese sticks to the grates, give it another minute on the heat. Transfer the cheese to the tomatoes, then sprinkle with the seeds. Season to taste with more red-pepper flakes, sugar and olive oil.

Halloumi is cheese you can actually grill and it won't melt into a huge burnt mess. Grilled halloumi is fun to make, and the cheese is commonly stocked in most normal grocery stores. You could include homemade flatbread with this recipe, or even just get a bag of greek pitas from the bread aisle and heat them up on the grill.

I don't know what "two zone" cooking means. It's some kind of grill nerd thing I think.