All posts by Marni Carron

Stuffed Peppers with Rice

August 25, 2017Main Disheasy, Gazy Brothers Farm, make ahead meals, onion, peppers, recipeMarni Carron

This is one of my favorite go to make ahead meal recipes. It’s easy, versatile, and delicious. You can make with the ground meat blend of your choice. I’ve made it as a vegetarian dish by adding sauteed chard and spinach instead of meat. You can use this stuffing with other vegetables like tomatoes or zucchini instead of peppers. It’s fantastic as a family meal or dinner for one. Best of all the stuffing freezes well and can easily be packed up in serving containers of your choice for an easy mid-week, healthy meal.

Ingredients:
1-4 bell peppers
1 minced jalapeno
1 chopped banana pepper
1 chopped onion
Calabrian or cherry peppers in oil – to taste
2 cups cooked rice or 1 package ready rice
2 1/2 cups of tomato sauce, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
1 pound of ground beef, pork or turkey – any combo

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Saute onions and peppers in oil from the hot peppers 5 minutes – till light golden brown. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Turn off heat and add cooked rice along with 1 cup tomato sauce to pan. Stir together and let mixture cool.

Mix ground meat, beaten egg, and rice mixture and combine. Add Parmesan cheese and stir till blended.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, discard seeds membranes and stem. Cover the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dish with sauce. Fill each pepper half with 1/2 cup of the meat mixture and place in dish. Cover each pepper with sauce. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

While peppers are baking portion out any remaining meat mixture into freezable containers. I usually make batches of about 1 cup of meat mix (enough for 1 pepper). Pack, label and freeze.

Uncover baking dish and add small pieces of mozzarella to the top of each pepper half.

Bake uncovered 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly brown. Serve and enjoy!

Panzanella with Sun-dried Tomato Dressing

July 22, 2017Appetizer, Main Dish, Salad, Side DishGazy Brothers Farm, peppers, red onion, tomatoMarni Carron

When I think of summer I think of tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh Gazy Brothers Farm veggies. Panzanella is a great way to use leftover veggies and bread. It’s also a wonderful salad to bring to picnics and outdoor events.

For this particular recipe I started with a basic panzanella recipe from Ina Garten. Instead of a simple oil and vinegar dressing I made a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette . I really love the flavor and intensity that sun-dried tomato brings to any basic vinaigrette recipe. Sun-dried tomato vinaigrettes can be used thru the summer as a way to add a depth of flavor into any summer salad; like this panzanella.

Panzanella Ingredients:

1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Ingredients for the vinaigrette:

3-4 heaping tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Drizzle bread cubes with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place on sheet pan and toast in 325 degree oven until golden brown. It usually takes 10-20 minutes. Make sure to keep your eye on it doesn’t burn.

Make the vinaigrette by adding sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, and garlic in food processor blender. Pulse to combine. Add cherry tomatoes and olive oil – blend till smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, and basil.

Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

June 27, 2017Dessert, Snackrhubarb, strawberriesMarni Carron

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
6 to 8 serving

Topping:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Zest of one lemon
1/4 pound (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

Filling:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 quart strawberries hulled & quartered
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
optional: 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract & 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Prepare topping: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and cut in softened butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Prepare filling: Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt into 9 inch dish. I prefer pyrex or ceramic dishes.

strawberry rhubarb 6

3. Remove topping from refrigerator and cover fruit thickly and evenly with topping. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.