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Another great Thracian specialty! Just like menemen, peppers with cheese can also be served as a side dish, main dish, or a breakfast treat. Many people enjoy lorlu biber for breakfast, but in my family we usually have it for dinner with fresh bread. its really easy to make, and almost impossible to make it bad.

For this recipe you can use as many peppers and as much cheese as you want. Traditionally lorlu biber is made with banana peppers. However, we got so many different kinds of peppers from this weeks farmers market that I was tempted to try at least one; Hungarian wax pepper.

























1 lb banana peppers, chopped in rounds (seeds taken out)
1/2 cup ricotta or farmers cheese (this can easily go up to 1 full cup)
1 cup frying oil (canola, corn, etc)
salt if needed

























-Heat oil in a deep pot.
-When its really hot, add chopped peppers and fry until they get slightly brown (If you dont want to deep fry peppers, you can stir them with 2-3 tbsp olive oil until slightly brown and then add cheese)
-Take the peppers out with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to soak excessive oil. (If you will fry two different kinds of peppers and one of them is spicy; first fry the non-spicy one. Otherwise, all the peppers will be spicy)
-Put 1 tbsp of the frying oil into a non-stick frying pan. Add peppers and cheese.
-Stir until cheese starts melting.
-Serve with bread.

This recipe was a chance to prove to my boyfriend that I CAN make spicy food! I think he just likes to pretend that hes so rough and tough and nothing is spicy enough for him. Its all an act but thats okay, I know he really liked this dish! Its another one from Rachael Rays new Cookbook Look and Cook. I did change this up quite a bit so Im going to give you my version of this recipe. The original recipe was very saucy and used a can of crushed tomatoes. I thought it would be nice to do something different and have a lighter sauce that really focused on the peppers. My version uses an odd ingredient...marinated tuscan peppers also called pepperoncini. These are the peppers youll find on an antipasto platter or in giardineria. Ive really been trying to find ways to use them because I find that they have a lot of flavor. Their texture is a little off and they are almost waxy and dont have a meaty texture. However, if you slice them thin enough they will incorporate their flavor and you will barely notice them by sight. The liquid that they are packed in has a lot of flavor and heat as well. Its vinegary and its definitely a good thing! Next time Im going to thinly slice some fennel and cook it with the peppers and onions. I cant wait to try that!




Spicy Spaghetti with Three Peppers and Onions

Inspired by Rachael Rays Recipe in Look and Cook


Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, quartered lengthwise seeded, and thinly sliced
2 cubanelle peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
6 marinated tuscan peppers, tops cut off, seeded and thinly sliced
1 large vidalia onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of tuscan pepper liquid
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp butter
about 1/2 cup chicken stock or pasta water (or both)
2 tbsp basil (dorat frozen cubes)
romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

While water is coming to a boil, heat EVOO in a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add onions, red and cubanelle peppers as you slice them, stirring occasionally. When onions and peppers are softened (about 10 minutes) push veggies aside and add butter garlic, crushed red pepper and tuscan peppers to the center of the pan. Continue to cook for a few minutes and then add tomato paste and basil. Stir to combine. Add salt and black pepper. Add juice from peppers, and stir. Let it cook for a minute and add some chicken stock as needed. Let continue to cook on low until pasta is ready.

Strain pasta (reserving some pasta water)when it is slightly undercooked. Add to peppers and toss to combine and coat pasta with the sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water if needed. Toss with some romano cheese.


Click here for a printable recipe.

Im not sure what the pepper situation is out there if you have to buy them. I am STILL trying to clear all of ours off the counter, although they are finally dwindling fast. (Admittedly a number of them are going to the compost.) Good thing this turned out to be quite tasty, as I made a big batch to freeze.

If you cant find stewing pork (it doesnt seem to be around much) a piece of shoulder or pork loin rib chops trimmed and cut up will do just fine. If you dont have or use wine, I would put in some lemon and/or orange juice instead. Also, you may wish to hold out a bit of the chicken stock until the end, then stir it in with 2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch dissolved in it, for a thicker sauce. 

4 servings
1 hour 30 minutes - 1  hour prep time


2 large bulbs of fennel (4 cups sliced)
3 to 6 mixed sweet pepeprs (4 cups sliced)
1 large onion
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
500 grams (1 pound) lean stewing pork
2 to 4 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dry rubbed thyme
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon flaked red chile
1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste

Wash the fennel, and trim away the stem end. Cut off any narrow, tough stems and greenery. (Save a little of the leaves for garnish if you like.) Cut the fennel in half, removing any tough core, then slice into small bite-sized pieces. Wash, core and deseed the peppers, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Peel the onion, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Peel and mince the garlic. Check that the pork is trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, and cook the peppers over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are softened, slightly browned and much reduced in volume. Add them to a large stewing pot. Add a little more oil to the skillet if needed, and cook the fennel until similarly softened, browned and reduced in volume. Add it to the peppers. Repeat with the onion, adding the garlic just a minute or two before you add it to the stew pot. Finally, brown the pork  well in the skillet then add it to the vegetables.

Add the wine, chicken stock and seasonings to the stew. You will likely need to adjust the amount of salt depending on how salty the chicken stock is. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with rice, noodles or potatoes.



Last year around this time I made Vegan Stuffed Peppers and Miso-Tomato Soup. Hmm, tomatoes have been done for a good 2 weeks this year, but its a good year-round soup when made with tinned ones.