Piquillo Peppers Filled with Halibut and Shrimp

These stuffed piquillo peppers are a must if you are having a tapas party. Piquillo peppers are often stuffed with meat, seafood or veggies and served as tapas in Spain. If you need more tapas recipes, please take a look at my other posts:

Spanish Omelette
Tuna in Escabeche
Curried Meatballs with Basmati Rice, Raisins and Pine Nuts

Long time ago, Columbus brought the first peppers to Europe from South America. These peppers, once planted in Spain, developed their own characteristics and turned into native Spanish varieties.
The name piquillo means "little beak", as this small red peppers are shaped like the beak of a bird. The peppers are about 3 to 4 inches long and about 1 inch wide narrowing to a slightly curved point at the end.

Traditionally piquillo peppers are grown in Northern Spain and are hand picked and roasted over open fires. The peppers are then peeled and de-seeded by hand and packed in their own juices into jars or cans for sale. They are bright red and have a sweet and tangy flavor; they are very tender, yet firm. Piquillo peppers can be prepared in a variety of ways: in salads, as a side dish, in sauces or stuffed with meat, seafood or veggies.

For best quality piquillo peppers look for the Designation of Origin "Lodosa". Lodosa is a village in Navarra, Spain, where the peppers are hand picked only once a year from September to November. They are produced almost entirely by hand using no chemicals in the roasting or peeling process.

You can purchase piquillo peppers in gourmet stores in the US. If you prefer to buy them online, here are a couple of choices:

Piquillo peppers from Spain

Organic piquillo peppers from Spain

Piquillo peppers from Lodosa, Spain (Designation of Origin) Best quality

Make sure to buy whole peppers, not the sliced kind. Reserve broken peppers that cannot be stuffed for the sauce we will be making to accompany the stuffed peppers.

PIQUILLO PEPPERS FILLED WITH HALIBUT AND SHRIMP

Serves 6 (about 20 stuffed peppers)

25-30 whole piquillo peppers
2 cups whole milk (warm)
3/4 cup all purpose flour (divided: 1/2 cup for the filling; 1/4 cup for the batter)
1/2 stick butter
2 shallots (minced and divided 1/2 for the filling and 1/2 for the sauce)
1 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined and finely chopped)
1/2 lb halibut
grated nutmeg
1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons creme fraiche
salt

Prepare the filling: Heat a deep sauté pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and shallots, cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chopped shrimp and halibut in one piece. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until shrimp is cooked through (about 4 minutes). Remove shrimp and reserve. Flip halibut and cook for 3 more minutes; start to break halibut with a spatula and cook until well done. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.

Prepare bechamel sauce: Using the same pan, melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir 1/2 cup of flour until smooth. Continue stirring and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium and gradually add the milk whisking constantly until well incorporated and thickened; cook for two more minutes stirring constantly. Season with salt and grated nutmeg. Add the halibut-shrimp mix and stir to combine.

Stuff the piquillo peppers: Select 20 peppers; carefully spread them open and spoon shrimp filling into them.

Hold pepper like this to easily spoon shrimp filling into it.

Batter and fry peppers: Place remaining 1/4 cup of flour and two beaten eggs in two shallow bowls. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dredge the stuffed pepper in flour, roll in beaten egg and fry, turning once, until lightly golden brown (about 1 minute on each side). Transfer to a dish lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Prepare the sauce: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in skillet, add shallots and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add 5-8 piquillo peppers, its  and the tomato sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add creme fraiche. Season with salt and pepper. Blend on low until smooth.

You can make the peppers and sauce ahead and then reheat in the oven or microwave when ready to eat. Serve with a dollop of sauce.

Enjoy!

Tomatillo-Chilpotle Salsa

I usually make this sauce when making Tacos con Carne Asada. You can also make it as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips (see photo below). It can also accompany any grilled meat or chicken, veggies, potatoes, etc... As you see it has many uses!

This sauce has a smoky and spicy flavor from the chilpotle pepper that combines perfectly with your tacos. Chilpotle or, more widely known in the US as chipotle, is a smoked jalapeño used in Mexican cooking. You can find it dried, powdered or canned. I am using the canned version for this recipe, which you can usually find in the international section of your grocery store.

Tomatillo is a fruit that resembles a green tomato. It grows in a paper-like husk that has to be removed before cooking. Tomatillos are a staple of Mexican cooking and you can easily find them in US supermarkets.

Tips: The spiciness in this sauce comes from the chilpotle. If you don't like your sauce spicy, you should remove all the seeds from the jalapeños and skip the chilpotle.

TOMATILLO-CHILPOTLE SALSA

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1lb tomatillos (husks removed, rinsed and quartered)

1 medium tomato (quartered)

1 red onion (quartered)

2 jalapeños (seeds removed and cut in half lengthwise)

2 garlic cloves (peeled)

1-2 canned chilpotle peppers

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)

salt

Preheat broiler to high. Place tomatillos, tomato, onion, jalapeños and garlic on a baking pan, add the olive oil and mix well.  Place the baking pan in the oven on the top rack and cook until tender and slightly charred (about 25 minutes), turning the vegetables occasionally.

Ready to go in the oven

Vegetables are tender and slightly charred

Place the vegetables in a blender and pulse a few times until roughly blended. Stir in the cilantro and pulse again. Season with salt to taste.

Place salsa in an oven safe dish and bake at 450ºF with goat cheese for 10 minutes. Serve as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Green Lentil Salad with Smoked Salmon and Cilantro

Today's salad is loaded with iron, omega 3 fatty acids, protein and fiber!

GREEN LENTIL SALAD WITH SMOKED SALMON, CILANTRO AND LIME VINAIGRETTE

Serves 4

1 cup of green lentils (washed)
1 bay leave
4 oz smoked salmon (chopped)
1 tablespoon of capers
2 tablespoons of minced cornichons
3 tablespoons of minced cilantro
1 bunch of radishes (chopped)
2 tablespoons of salmon caviar (optional)
1lime
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

In a large saucepan cover lentils with cold water, add the bay leave and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and boil covered for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are tender but al dente. Strain and let cool down.

In a bowl put the smoked salmon, capers, cornichons, cilantro and radishes.

Make the vinaigrette in a separate bowl with the olive oil, juice and zest of one lime, salt and pepper. Mix well and stir into the salad; mix thouroughly and decorate with lime wedges, cilantro, sliced radishes and salmon caviar.

Enjoy!

Flatbread with Artichokes, Fontina Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes

Would you like to treat your family to a homemade flatbread or pizza? Do you have guests over to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday? You should try this easy recipe and be amazed by the results!
I start by making the pizza dough with my food processor; it only takes minutes to have a good dough, then you have to let it stand for about 45 minutes, roll the dough, top it with all the ingredients and 8-10 minutes in the oven. That's all!

You will have enough dough to make two pizzas or flatbreads. My kids love pizza Margherita, so I split the dough in half and make one flatbread and one pizza Margherita; this way everyone is happy!

FLATBREAD WITH ARTICHOKES, FONTINA CHEESE AND CHERRY TOMATOES

For the dough (two flatbreads or 9 inch pizzas)

1 package of active dry yeast
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
2/3 cup of warm water (105-115ºF)
1 and 2/13 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Toppings (for each flatbread; if you are making two flatbreads double the toppings)

5 baby artichokes
10 cherry tomatoes
1/4 of a red onion or shallot (thinly sliced)
10 cubes of fontina cheese
1 teaspoon of lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Ingredients

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 3-5 minutes.

In the food processor add flour and salt. Turn the food processor on and pour yeast mixture through small feed tube as fast as flour absorbs it. Process until dough forms a ball and then process for another 30 seconds.

Coat dough with olive oil, transfer to a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let stand at room temperature (about 72ºF) for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425ºF while you continue preparing your flatbread.

Cut the dough in half if you want to make two different flatbreads/pizzas.

Place dough in a lightly floured surface and shape dough with the help of a rolling pin. For the flatbread I like to make a rectangular shape. When the shape is done, place it on parchment paper.

Prepare the artichokes:
1. remove the outer leaves until you reach the pale and tender inner leaves.
2. cut off the top of the artichoke and trim the stem.
3. cut the artichoke in half lengthwise and remove the hairy choke, if any.
4. wash well and slice.
5. once the artichokes are sliced you need to cook them fast or they will turn dark.

In a bowl place the artichokes, cherry tomatoes and sliced onions/shallots and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and place on top of the flatbread. Add Fontina Cheese.

Preheat oven to 425ºF and slide the flatbread and parchment paper into the oven with the help of a cutting board. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown on the sides. Remove from oven with the help of a cutting board.

If you want to make a pizza Margherita, shape the dough and put tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella on top and bake at 425ºF for 8 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Mussels Normandy Style with Hand Cut Fries

This is a local dish from Normandy. It is extremely easy to make and you can have a pot of steaming mussels on the table in 15 minutes. It is mandatory to eat with your fingers! Also, don't forget a crusty baguette for mopping up the sauce!

Tips: You can substitute crème fraîche for sour cream.

MUSSELS NORMANDY STYLE WITH HAND CUT FRIES

Serves 4

1 lb. of mussels
1 shallot (minced)
1/2 cup of dry white wine, calvados or cider
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of parsley (chopped)
2 sprigs of thyme
two bay leaves
3 tablespoons of crème fraîche (or sour cream)
salt and pepper

2 russet potatoes
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat a deep saucepan and add butter and olive oil, then add shallots, thyme and bay leaves and cook at low heat for about 3 minutes until the shallots are soft.

Add the mussels and wine and cover; cook at low-medium heat until the mussels are open for about 3-5 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer mussels to a deep serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

Bring pan juices to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to half (3 minutes). Remove from heat and add the crème fraîche, salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour over the reserved mussels and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Peel and cut the potatoes in long thick slices, then cut them again vertically. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and working in batches add potatoes when the oil is hot; cook at medium heat for about 4 minutes until crispy in the outside and soft in the inside. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

Shallots and herbs

How to cut the potatoes

Salmon Rillettes on Multigrain Bread

This is a simple recipe that you can use in many different ways. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate, it will be delicious. You can serve it as an appetizer at a party and everyone will love it with a glass of white wine. You can put it on a bagel or sandwich bread for lunch or you can add it to a spring mix or arugula salad, etc...

I recommend using always the best ingredients: the better the salmon you buy, the best rillettes you will have.

Tips: do not over mix the ingredients or you will end up with a salmon paste or dip.

SALMON RILLETTES ON MULTIGRAIN BREAD

1 lb of skinless salmon
2 cups of white wine
1 shallot (minced)
3 oz of smoked salmon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon of chives (minced)
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
salt and pepper

In a deep pan bring the wine and shallots to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the salmon; simmer for 5 minutes (the center should be raw). Remove the salmon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.  Strain wine and shallots through a fine-mesh sieve; reserve shallots, discard wine. Place poached salmon and shallots in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold. In a bowl gently mix poached salmon, shallots, smoked salmon (chopped), juice of 1/2 lemon, chives, 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Put on top of multigrain bread and enjoy with an arugula or spring mix salad (pictured salad is microgreen arugula with extra virgin olive oil and cream with balsamic vinegar of Modena).

Presentation for a party

Ingredients

Poached salmon and shallots

Multigrain Bread