Bread Machine (228 page)
Serves 4
Lolly Font is our local Iyengar yoga teacher. She is known by all as an incredible cook, able to go out to the backyard, pluck a few things from the garden, and come up with a fantastic meal in no time. Her way with recipes floats around like gossip in my circle of cooks. These peppers of Lolly’s are absolutely famous. You can broil them with cheese, as directed here, and serve them with bread, or just serve the peppers marinated in their own juices with the garlic, parsley, and oil. At one party where I served them, a guest described them as “the caviar of peppers.”
4 large red bell peppers, with the thickest flesh you can find
1
/
4
cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
6 ounces whole milk mozzarella, sliced
Place the peppers on a baking sheet and broil them until the skins blister, about 3 minutes. With a pair of metal tongs, turn a quarter turn and broil for 3 minutes. Repeat this until the entire pepper is charred. Immediately place the peppers in a paper or plastic bag. Close the bag and let the peppers sit until they have cooled to room temperature, about 20 minutes. The steam given off by the peppers will loosen their charred skin.
Cut open one side of a pepper and pull out the seeds, ribs, and stem; discard them. Holding the pepper over a small bowl, peel off the skin using a paring knife. The bowl will collect the juices. If some of the skin sticks, rinse the pepper under cold running water. Repeat until all the peppers are seeded and peeled. (You can store the peppers in their juices in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, if you wish.)
Cut each pepper into 5 or 6 large pieces and place the pieces in 4 individual gratin dishes. Drizzle each with a tablespoon of oil, some garlic, and any collected juices.
Combine the parsley, basil, and oregano. Distribute the mixture evenly among the 4 dishes. Top the pepper pieces and herbs in each dish with a slice of cheese. Place the dishes under a broiler and broil until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 dozen tomato halves, about 1 quart
Use these tomatoes as an ingredient in bread or as an antipasto served with bread, or toss them with pasta or drop them onto pizza or focaccia instead of fresh tomatoes. Once you try these, you will want to have them around all the time. They are, for their sublime flavor and real versatility, a perfect pantry staple. They are especially good with country breads.
24 small, ripe Roma tomatoes
2
/
3
cup olive oil
3
/
4
cup chopped fresh basil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a large 17-by-11-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, removing the stems, if necessary. Place the tomatoes in a shallow bowl, and toss them with the olive oil so that they are evenly coated. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, on the baking sheet. (All the tomatoes should fit on one sheet.) Sprinkle them evenly with the chopped basil and minced garlic.
Bake the tomatoes for 3 to 3
1
/
2
hours, or until the tomatoes are wrinkled, but still moist. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Place the tomatoes in a covered container or wide-mouth spring-top jar, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Marinated Olives with Herbs and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Makes 1 quart
You can use any type of brine-cured olive for this recipe—Californian, Greek, or any other. These olives will keep for three months in the refrigerator. They look very pretty in the jar, and make a wonderful gift accompanied by a loaf of country bread.
4 cups brine-cured black olives, pitted and drained
3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into 4 slices each
1
/
4
cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato strips, oil reserved if desired, see Note
5 julienne strips of orange zest (each about 2 inches long)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
1
/
2
cup olive oil
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the oil, and toss to evenly distribute the herbs and the tomatoes. Place the mixture in a springtop quart jar, and pour in the oil. Refrigerate the olives to marinate for at least 3 days before serving. Bring the olives to room temperature to serve.
NOTE:
If you wish, you can use a combination of oil drained from the tomatoes and olive oil to equal the
1
/
2
cup olive oil.
Appendix 3
RESOURCES
Bread Machines, Baking Equipment, Flour, Ingredients, and Other Baking Products
The Baker’s Catalogue
P.O. Box 876
Norwich, Vermont 05055
800-827-6836
www.kingarthurflour.com
Order Zojirushi and Welbilt bread machines, clay baking pans, mini-loaf pans, baguette pans, pizza pans, thermometers, baking stones, banettons, and just about any other equipment you could possibly need for baking. Brinna Sands has built her King Arthur Flour Company and The Baker’s Catalogue mail-order branch to offer a wide variety of the best fresh flours, such as King Arthur Sir Lancelot High-Gluten Flour, Special for Bread Machines Flour (a favorite with all my recipe testers), First Clear Flour, Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (which even works well in the bread machine), Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, and White Whole Wheat Flour. Also offers various types of yeast.
K-TEC
1206 South 1680 West
Orem, Utah 84058
800-748-5400
www.k-tecnsa.com
Grain mills, Zojirushi bread machines, bread machine
mixes, and other baking supplies.