Mediterranian pepper medley

1/2 cup olive oil

2 yellow peppers

2 red peppers

2 orange peppers

1 red onion

1 yellow onion

6 cloves garlic

fresh thyme

fresh rosemary

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Peel and crush the garlic, peel and quarter the onions, and add to skillet. Cut the peppers into chunks and add along with thyme and rosemary.  Turn heat to lowest setting.  Stir frequently.  Let roast until peppers are soft and slightly browned.  This will take at least an hour. Sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
This is a wonderful addition to any grilled meat, most seafood, or as part of an antipasto platter.

Roasted salmon fillets

This is simple, delicious, and turns out perfectly every  time. 

Preheat oven to 425F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Brush lightly with olive oil and place salmon fillets on top.  Brush fillets with olive oil as well, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh rosemary.  Roast for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with your favorite vegetables, rice, couscous,  fettuccine, or potatoes.
I often add asparagus to the baking sheet, about 10 minutes after the salmon.

Slow cooked pork tenderloin

I serve this dish on top of buttered noodles, along with a good helping of fresh steamed vegetables.  It almost makes you glad it's winter.

2 pork tenderloins, about 3 lbs
3 Tbsp butter

3 onions - 2 of them cut into halves, 1 chopped
5 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
about 10 cloves of garlic
1 apple, cut into quarters
1 or 2 heaping Tbsp fresh ginger, cut into chunks
hot pepper flakes
parsley

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup wine, red or white
2 heaping Tbsp of fig marmalade - if that's too esoteric for your cupboard you can use apricot jam, peach jam, or even grape jelly
salt and pepper


Brown the tenderloins in hot butter and set aside.
When cooled off, make a number of deep slits into the meat and stuff  these with slices of garlic.

Arrange onion halves and carrot chunks in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Place the roast on top.
Mix ketchup, wine, soy sauce, vinegar, jam and salt and pepper, and pour over the meat.  Sprinkle with chopped onions, the remaining garlic, and ginger.  Place the apple chunks around the tenderloins, then sprinkle lightly with red pepper flakes.

Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.  Set the roast on a platter to rest, move the vegetables and apples into a bowl. Pour the sauce into a pan and thicken with a little flour or cornstarch.
Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve over noodles or rice, and sprinkle with parsley.

Turkish chicken

We have made this chicken dish many times over the last couple of years and really enjoy it.  It is delicious served with pita bread and a green salad topped with fruit. It takes a little while to make it, but the result is well worth it.

4 chicken breasts, on the bone
4 chicken thighs
1 large onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, cut into chunks
1 carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley
sprig of thyme
several peppercorns
1 tsp corander seeds
8 oz walnuts, toasted, preferably the less bitter Californian walnuts
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 Tbsp paprika, plus some extra

4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp walnut oil
salt to taste

Place 2 teaspoons paprika and the cayenne pepper in a small frying pan and heat over low heat for about 2 minutes, until aromatic. Then add the walnut oil to the pan, stir, and set aside.

Put the chicken in a large saucepan with the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and coriander seeds.  Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the stock.
Remove the chicken pieces, and return the stock to the heat. Simmer it for 20 - 25 minutes, until reduced by about half.  Strain, skim off any fat, and reserve the stock.
Take the chicken pieces, remove all skin and shred into pieces.  Season well and ladle some stock over it to moisten.  Set aside.

Reserve a few of the walnuts to use as a garnish, and blend the rest in a food processor.  You want a rough walnut paste.  Then combine the bread with 1/2 cup of stock, add to the food processor and mix in short bursts.  Add the extra paprika, the garlic and some salt and pepper, and process until smooth.  Gradually add 1 cup of warm chicken stock, until the mixture is smooth and can be poured.  Add a little extra stock if it is too thick.

Mix half of this sauce with the chicken and place on a serving platter.  Pour the rest over to cover, then sprinkle with the spiced walnut oil and the remaining walnuts.

Our favorite cheese cake

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix the following ingredients and press on bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan (9 or 10 inch):
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
1 stick butter, melted

For the filling, you need:
3 eggs
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups sour cream

Beat cream cheese until smooth, then cream with the sugar.  Add vanilla, vanilla bean scrapings, and almond extract.  Add eggs and beat until very smooth.  Blend in the sour cream and pour into crust.

Bake for 35 minutes.  The filling will still look soft.  Remove from oven, cool, and then refrigerate - 5 or 6 hours, or overnight.  Remove from pan, and serve.