Capsicum Stuffed with Risotto

Whenever I go out to eat, I have an annoying tendancy to try and recreate what I have eaten at home. This is annoying because the time I am eating out I tend to dissect the food rather than enjoy it. My hubby thinks that some foods should be enjoyed when other people make it but I believe it is a challenge to make it at home. This recipe is one such dish that I had out (of all place the office cafeteria!) and attempted to recreate at home. And it was pretty easy as well.

Risotto is a dish that I usually don't like eating out as it is made of rice. Well my logic is I get plenty of rice at home and thus I don't really want to eat it when I go out. This logic also applies to Indian food (well atleast South Indian). But this doesn't mean I'm very adventurous. I'm fondly called a 'Food Racist' at work due my strict dietary requirements (not requirements but preferences). Thus hadn't eaten Risotto (or a vast range of dishes) until my better half came along.

And ofcourse once I had it once, it became a regular lunch item at our house. It is simple and filling whilst being healthy. But this dish is a twist to just serving in a bowl. Baking it in the oven just gives it the extra flavour and crunch!

Capsicum Stuffed with Risotto

Ingredients
1 large red capsicum- cut in half with seeds scooped out.
1 cup aborio rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion- finely chopped.
2 garlic cloves-finely chopped.
2 dried shitake mushrooms- soaked in boiling water then chopped.
5 sundried tomatoes- chopped.
1 small zuccini- chopped.
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 vegetable stock bullion
fresh basil
1 tsp salt- adjust as required.
1 tsp pepper- adjust as required.
some tasty cheese- optional.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to about 180 degress Celcius
2. In a saucepan, bring to the boil about 8 to 10 cups of water. Drop the buillion in and reduce the heat to a simmer.
3. In a seperate large saucepan, add the olive oil. Sautee the garlic and onions until they turn golden brown.
4. Add the aborio rice to the onions and sautee until they appear transulent with a white core. This takes about 1 minute.
5. Now add about a cup of the simmering vegetable stock to the rice and mix until absorbed. Repeat this procedure until the rice is about half cooked.
6. Add the chopped zuccini, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and tomato paste and stir through.
7. Continue adding the stock a cup at a time and stirring until it has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat this until the rice is cooked through. The amount of stock required depends on the rice and how cooked you want the rice to be (some like it al dente and some like it soft). Adjust the amount of stock you add to the rice as you require.
8. Add the basil leaves when rice is cooked and turn off heat. This can be served on its own.
9. Using half a capsicum as bowl, fill to the top with the risotto and sprinkle with some cheese.
10. Cook in the oven for about 20 mins and serve.

Red Capsicum Chutney

After a western dish, I thought I should follow with an indian red capsicum dish. Since I had some red capsicums (I think americans call it red bell pepper) left over I thought I would make a chutney.

When my mother in law came over from India last year we went to Lakshmi aunty's house. There she had red capsicum chutney and has not forgotten since. Everytime I speak to my mother in law she asks if I have got the recipe of Lakshmi aunty. And of course every time I forget. But now I actually remembered and since they were on sale, I bought a few.

However after discovering food blogs I came across Indira's version of the chutney. You know how some recipes you read and you just think that it will turn out excellent. Well this was one of them. Then I was in a state of confusion. Shall I make it Lakshmi aunty's way (which I can't even remember tasting) or Indira's. I thought I would make both. So I started getting all the ingredients for Indira's. However I went to the cupboard and realised that I had 2 peanuts left. Hence I bookmarked Indira's recipe and decided to go with Lakshmi aunty's. However I realised Lakshmi aunty's was simple but really really yummy.

This is a quick chutney that we had with rice, on bread, as a dip and just like that. A truly versatile chutney.


Red Capsicum Chutney

Ingredients
3 red capsicums - deseeded and chopped
2 dried red chillies - torn to bits
2 or 3 fresh green chillies - cut into two
3 or 4 cloves garlic - chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin
a few curry leaves (fresh is best)
1 tsp oil
a small bit of tamarind - soaked in warm water
salt to taste

Method

1. Fry capsicums until soft.
2. Heat a little oil and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the cumin and fry a few seconds. Add a couple of curry leaves.
3. Add garlic and fry until light brown.
4. Add green and red chillies and fry for a few seconds.
5. Once all fried ingredients are cool, grind with salt to taste and tamarind pulp.

You can redo the mustard, cumin, curry leaves (and hing) tempering to add but I prefer not to.

Wheat Noodle Salad

Boy! What a week. As soon as I have started blogging, I have become so busy! Work is busy and home is busy! But I still have managed to cook and more importantly take photos. However it is not until Sunday night that I have managed to find some time to write up all that I have cooked.

If there is one vegetable that me and my husband would regard as our favourite (do people have favourite vegetables?) then it would have to be RED CAPSICUM. I don't know if it is the bright red colour or the sweet yet subtly hot flavour but we love it. It is also a very versatile vegetable. I can make Indian dishes and Western.

The best way to have red capsicum is roasted. And there are heaps of dishes you can make with roasted peppers. I am sure if Indira's JFI has peppers I will have no problems contributing (only prob would be picking which dish is best). Our latest favourite dish at the moment is Wheat Noodle Salad.

There is a Vegan collegue of mine, Albie, that gave me the recipe (he sourced it from somewhere). Him being the vegan and I the vegetarian we usually stick together at work lunches and order the same thing. The first time I had this dish was at his place in an all vegan barbeque. Usually when I go to a BBQ, I usually stick to salad due to fears of cross contamination but both me and Krishna were in heaven when we didn't have to ask 'Is this dish vegetarian?'

I hope that you all enjoy it as much as we have.

Wheat Noodle Salad

Ingredients
3 Red Capsicums
250g Dried Wheat Noodles
350g Snake Beans (any green bean will do. I usually use string beans if I have them or frozen string beans.) - steamed and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 small red onion - sliced
2 tbsp Toasted Seasame Seeds
1/2 cup parsley or coriander - coarsely chopped

Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 peanut oil (I usually use a few table spoons rather than this. I guess use as much as it suits you)
1 tsp seasame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (you can find this in chinese grocery stores)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar

Method

1. Roast the capsicums. To do this I just cut deseed the capsicums, quarter them and spray a bit of oil on them and put them in the grill.
2. Grill until they are black.
3. Take them out of the grill while they are still hot and put in a plastic bag or in a bowl and cling wrap it. This is to sweat them a bit.
4. Once they are cool (or well sweated) peel the skin off and cut into strips.
5. Add all ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake well.
6. Meanwhile cook the noodles according the packet.
7. Gently toss all ingredients with the dressing.

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