86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 19, 2000 Summer ITALIAN VEGGIE BAKE 1 medium zucchini, peeled, sliced 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tomato, skinned, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh oregano 'A cup water 1 tablespoon butter Combine all ingredients in a one-quart casserole. Cover and microwave for 7'/:-8 minutes or full power or until tender. Re move from microwave oven and add the following: 'A cup grated parmesan cheese Cover and let stand until Pennsylvania Produce Looking Good Peppers add zest to all sorts of recipes. And Pennsylvania vege table growers grow over 1,000 acres of them to add a bit of extra flavor to pizza, salads, stir frys, omelets, sauces, and numer ous other dishes. Growers are re porting good yields of high quali ty peppers due to the generally favorable growing conditions this year. About 90 percent of the acre age in Pennsylvania is planted in sweet bell peppers. Less than 10 percent is devoted to the hotter varieties. Sweet bell peppers are usually sold in the mature green stage. However, if green peppers are left on the plant to fully ma ture, they will turn color. Most varieties will turn red but some turn brilliant shades of yellow or orange while others become pur ple. As they turn color, their sugar content increases along with their vitamin C content. Green peppers have twice as much vita min C as oranges by weight while red peppers have three times as much plus beta caro tene. Hot peppers are also high in vitamin C. While the familiar blocky bell peppers are the most common sweet pepper, there are several other kinds that are classified as sweet peppers but that have a stronger flavor than bell peppers. This extra flavor makes them ex cellent additions to various dish es. Among these varieties are cu banelle, banana and pimento peppers. There are many kinds of hot peppers grown. Probably the most common ones grown in Pennsylvania are Hungarian wax, jalapeno, cherry and cayenne. Capsaicin, the sub stance that makes peppers hot, is extremely pungent in its pure Recipe Topics If you have recipes for topics listed below, please share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you include ac curate measurements, a complete list of ingredients, and clear instructions with each recipe you submit. Be sure to include your name and address. Recipes should reach our office one week before the publishing date listed below. Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. August 26 - Sandwiches September 2 - Beef Contest Entries 9 - National Honey Month 16 - Cooking With Rice Vegetables Offer Taste, Eye Appeal cheese is melted. Serves two gen erously. Rosa Rippeon Mount Airy, MD HONEY GLAZED CAR ROTS 3 cups sliced carrots 'A cup honey 2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons chopped parsley VA. teaspoons mustard Steam or microwave carrots until crisp tender. Stir in remain ing ingredients, tossing to coat evenly. state. Capsaicin and related com pounds are concentrated in the placenta of the pepper the white ribs inside the pepper that hold the seeds. Thus much of the heat of peppers can be removed if this part is cut out. It is impor tant to wear rubber gloves or re peatedly wash one’s hands while doing this to protect them. Be es pecially careful not touch the face or eyes during the process. Besides adding flavor to the diet, sweet peppers can be eaten quantities sufficient to supply significant quantities of vitamin C to the diet and help fulfill the recommended three to five serv ings of vegetables per day recom mended by nutrition experts. The following recipe from The Amer ican Cancer Society Cookbook is a tasty way to incorporate pep pers and their cousins, tomatoes, into the diet. STUFFED BABY PEPPERS WITH TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE Tiny sweet peppers are avail able in specialty grocery stores (or many farm markets on re quest). For a truly attractive dish, use a variety of colors. If the tiny ones are not available, substitute regular-size ones. 24 baby red, green, yellow, or purple peppers (or 12 me dium) A pound medium ground beef 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cups cooked rice (made from 1 cup raw) 11/:I 1 /: cups drained canned or chopped fresh tomatoes '/’ cup tomato sauce (or '/: cup catsup or A cup each water and tomato paste mixed) 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt Vh cups Tomato-Basil Sauce (see below) 12 small red potatoes, halved 'A cup honey 3 tablespoons dry white wine 1 clove garlic, minced Vi teaspoon salt and pepper 1 teaspoon dried theyme. crushed 2 zucchini, halved vertically and halved 1 medium eggplant, sliced /i- inch thick 1 green pepper, cut vertically into eighths Renee Blall Slice top off each pepper; chop tops and save to add to filling. Remove core, seeds, and white membranes from peppers. Blanch peppers in boiling water for three minutes; drain and set aside. In large skillet or heavy sauce pan, cook beef, onion and chop ped pepper until beef is browned and onions are tender. Drain off any fat. Stir in rice, tomatoes, to mato sauce, Worcestershire, and salt; simmer for two minutes. Spoon meat mixture into pep pers. (Recipe may be prepared ahead to this point and refriger ated or frozen.) Bake in 350 de gree F oven for 20 minutes or until hot. Serve with Tomato- Basil Sauce to spoon over (or sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese or part skim mozzarella cheese before baking). Makes six servings. Calories per serving: 213 Grams fat per serving: 6 Vitamins A and C and niacin: Excellent Iron, riboflavin, and phospho rus: Good TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE 2 28-ounce cans plum toma toes, undrained 1 s'/2-ounce can tomato paste 2 onions, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 large bay leaf 2 tablespoons crumbled basil 2 teaspoons crumbled leaf ore gano 1 teaspoon salt freshly ground pepper, sugar In food processor, puree toma toes or drain liquid into saucepan and chop tomatoes by hand. Pour into large, heavy saucepan and add tomato paste, onions, garlic, bay leaf, basil and orega no. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly and onions are tender. (If sauce thickens too quickly, cover for remaining cooking time.) Add salt, and pep per and sugar to taste. Makes six cups sauce. (May be frozen.) Calories per '/: cup: 38 Grams fat per '/: cup: 0.3 Vitamins A and C: Excellent Quick Buying Tips For Pennsylvania Sweet Peppers The Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Pro gram offers these tips when buy ing fresh sweet peppers: • Select firm peppers that are heavy for their size. • Look for peppers with a rich, glossy color. • Sweet peppers can be briefly refrigerated prior to use. PA Honey Queen HONEY GRILLED VEGETABLES 1 red bell pepper, cut vertically into eights 1 large onion sliced '/z-inch thick Cover potatoes with water, bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes, drain. Combine honey, wine, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme; mix well. Place vegetables on oiled barbecue grill over hot coals. Grill 20 to 25 minutes, turning and brushing with honey mixture every 7-8 minutes. Oven method; Toss vegetables with honey mixture. Bake, un covered, at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until tender, mix every 8-10 minutes to prevent burning. Renee Blatt PA Honey Queen RADISH RELISH 1 quart ground radishes 1 pint ground onion I'/: tablespoon celery seed V/i tablespoon mustard seed 'A cup sugar or slightly less 1 tablespoon salt Cider vinegar Combine all ingredients and cover with strong cider vinegar. Cook slowly 45 minutes or until done. Pour into sterilized glass jars while hot and seal. Red, yellow or white onions can be uses as well as white or red radishes. CORN RELISH Vi cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour '/i teaspoon salt 'A teaspoon turmeric 'A teaspoon dry mustard 1 cup cider vinegar 1 teaspoon celery seed Featured Recip In-season vegetables offer farm-fresh taste, an abundance of variety, and essential nutrition. Buy vegetables gown by hardworking farmers who take pride in producing quality produce that is safe, healthy, and tasty. Grilling vegetables offers great taste and top nutrition. It’s easy and versatile. You can add meat and any vegetables you have on hand. Sprinkle with herbs and your favorite season ings. Here’s a recipe to get you started. This makes three servings. To serve more people, simply add more vegetables and meat. ZESTY KABOBS '/: cup low-calorie Italian salad dressing 1 red bell pepper, cubed 1 green bell pepper, cubed White onin, cubed Cora on the cob 9-ounces raw lean beef round Marinate beef cubes in dressing for 4-8 hours. Remove beef rom marinade and discard remaining liquid. Alternate vege tables and beef on skewers, leaving some space between each item. Grill kabobs over medium hot coals or broil until beef is cooked to desired doneness. Sprinkle with desired herbs.. 16-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained Vi cup onion, chopped medium fine 2 cups green cabbage finely shredded, packed down 1 large green pepper, chopped medium fine 1 large red pepper, chopped medium fine Into a 3-quart saucepan, stir together sugar, flour, salt, tur meric, and mustard. Gradually stir in vinegar, keeping mixture smooth. Add celery seed, com, onion, cabbage, green and red pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until cabbage wilts and sauce thickens and boils. Let it bubble gently about 5 minutes. Makes about 4/z cups. Store in refrigerator. PICKLED SWEET PEPPERS 2 large red peppers 2 large yellow or green peppers 2 cups water Vi cup white vinegar 'A cup honey 1 tablespoon black pepper corns 4 large cloves garlic, sliced thin 1 cup sliced onions Clean peppers and cut length wise into one-inch wide strips. Combine water and next four in gredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add peppers and onions. Bring to a boil, cover, re duce heat and simmer 20 min utes until peppers are tender. Let cool. Store in jars in refrigerator. PICKLED YELLOW SQUASH (Turn to Page B 7)
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