Red curry and bell peppers are a great combination. I like to use red bell peppers for it because they are the sweetest, but you could perfectly use green or yellow ones.

 

 

 

 

Thai red curry soup

What you need:
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. red curry paste
150g mushrooms, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, quartered and sliced
1 small can coconut milk (175ml)
200 ml vegetable broth
2 tbsp soy sauce

What you do:
Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add spring onions, garlic and ginger and cook until golden brown, then add the curry paste and mix well with the oil.

After two minutes, add the vegetables and sauté for a few minutes, until the mushrooms brown a little. Pour in the coconut milk, vegetable broth and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes. If you like, add more soy sauce.

Serve with a slice of lime.

Ajvar is basically a relish, made from red bell peppers. It is originally from Serbia, but also known in other southeastern countries and the Turkish cuisine. Some recipes add eggplant or chili, but I chose a pretty simple recipe with very few ingredients.

If you have never tried it before, you should now! It tastes great with meat or grilled vegetables – a perfect sauce for your next barbecue.

 

 

 

 

 

Homemade Ajvar

What you need:
750g red bell pepper
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
3 tbsp. canola oil
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
cayenne pepper
salt
pepper

What you do:
Preheat the oven to 250°C/480°F and turn on the broiler.

Wash, stem and seed the bell peppers and cut them in half. Place the bell peppers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, skin side up. About 15-20cm/6-8in under the broiler element, let them broil until slightly charred, but don’t let them burn (you can see how it is supposed to look in the third picture). Transfer the peppers into an airtight container and let them cool, then peel off the skin. Place the peppers in a food processor, pulse until finely chopped.

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic. After about five minutes, carefully add the bell peppers. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1-2 hours.

Add vinegar and spices to taste. Stir well. You can either serve it right away or fill the ajvar into sterilized jars.

A few months back, I ended my no bell pepper phase. For some reason, I didn’t like them for a while – but since that’s over now, I can make one of my favorite bell pepper recipes: Stuffed bell peppers. You can stuff them with pretty much anything you like – many recipes use rice and ground beef. I chose couscous and feta cheese for this vegetarian version.

 

 
 
 
 

Couscous stuffed bell peppers

What you need:
2 bell peppers (tops cut, stemmed and seeded)
8-9 small cherry tomatoes, chopped
100g feta cheese
100g instant couscous (I use instant couscous)
1 tbsp mixed herbs (I used a mix of 8 frozen herbs)
pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste
ras el-hanout, to taste
sour cream (I used low-fat)
 
What you do:
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cook the couscous. I use vegetable broth instead of water to add extra flavor. Cut the feta cheese into small cubes. In a small bowl, carefully mix the couscous with feta, tomatoes, herbs and spices.

Spoon the filling into the bell peppers. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is heated through, about 25-30 minutes. Top with sour cream and serve immediately.

Hey, it’s April! On the blog, this month is all about the…

bell pepper!

They are available in many different colors and super rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. A great Veggie of the Month that’s really good for you!

Did you know you could use bell peppers to make a fabulous pesto?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bell pepper pesto

What you need:
2-3 red bell peppers (you need 150g, peeled)
100g pine nuts
100g ricotta
salt
pepper
30ml canola oil
70ml olive oil
jars

What you do:
There are two different peeling methods – using a special peeler with a serrated blade or with the oven-roasting method. Either way, cut them in half and remove seeds, stems and anything white. Then…

…using the oven: Cut the bell peppers in quarters, put them on a lined baking sheet, let them roast skin side up under the broiler in the oven at 220°C/430°F until the skin starts to turn black – don’t wait too long. Then put them into an airtight plastic container, let them cool and then take off the skin.

… using the peeler: Peel the bell peppers, cut them in chunks and let them cook in a skillet covered with a lid, for about 5 minutes over medium heat. They should be a little soft, but not mushy.

Roast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat until they are golden brown and smell great (stir occasionally and keep an eye on them, they burn easily). Weigh out 150g of bell pepper and place it in a food processor. Add ricotta, pine nuts, canola oil and a little salt and pepper. Process to a smooth puree. Transfer to a bowl and add the olive oil, mix well. Check if you need to add any more salt or pepper. Add more oil or ricotta if the consistency is not the way you like it.

Pour the pesto into clean jars, cover with olive oil and close with lids. Store the pesto in the fridge.

Tip!

You could eat this pesto with pasta, crostini or as a dipping sauce for chicken.