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
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