Grilled Steaks With Sweet Mini Peppers And Cauliflower Puree

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 Sweet mini peppers have just arrived! Everywhere from Costco to Target to your local grocery store they can be found in bags for a fairly reasonable price.  Not only are they one of the easiest side dishes to pull together but they are also full of flavor and will add an element of vibrant color to the plate.

One of the interesting things about mini peppers is that you don’t need to core them. There are practically no seeds making them a cinch to prepare.Just wash them, toss them in a bowl, and drizzle them with olive oil. Season them generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place them on the hot grill and cook them until they are tender and slightly deflated. The skins will blacken in spots, but that is totally okay. You can serve them like that or peel them, toss them in a bowl, add olive oil and lots of chopped basil.  Serve the grilled peppers as a side dish and in salads or sandwiches. They are good hot or at room temperature.

We just had the first steaks off the grill this weekend,  accompanied by Cauliflower Puree and these Grilled Mini Peppers.  A bottle of La Linda Malbec (see below), a gift from our friends at The Blue Remembered Hills, accompanied the meal.  To die for...

What is Adobo?

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Before things get really out of hand and some chefs and professional cooks take this word into the stratosphere, let's get this straight.  Adobo is a spanish word that means marinade, dry or wet, and  is used typically in Spanish and Latin American cuisine.  It usually refers to the condiments in which meats such as pork, chicken, lamb turkey or fish are marinaded before they are cooked.

A typical adobo consists of garlic, onions, olive oil, lemon or lime and herbs or spices. Sometimes the adobo is discarded before cooking, other times it is added to the pan.  It can be sauce like if it has wet ingredients such as oil or orange juice or it can be dry if it is just spices and herbs.  It is not a sauce to be enjoyed as part of a dish although the term has now taken that meaning, particularly as it pertains to Mexican and southwestern food, courtesy of creative menu writers and cookbook authors.

Goya makes prepared adobos, both dry and wet which can be found in your supermarket

In Filipino cuisine, adobo refers to a common cooking process indigenous to the Philippines. When the Spanish invaded the Philippines in the late 16th century they found an indigenous cooking process that involved stewing with vinegar. They referred to this method as "adobo". Over time, dishes prepared in this manner came to be known by this name as well, the most famous being chicken or pork stewed in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and pepper.

In Mexican cuisine it is a marinade or paste made with chillies, vinegar and spices to flavor meats.

Just for the record....

Sausage, Peppers & Onions...Definitely a Man's Sandwich

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I love this sandwich but I never order it when I'm out, way too messy to really enjoy and an almost sure candidate for a dry cleaning bill.

This is definitely one of those things I save for eating at home, preferably by the pool in the summer, or in jeans on a cold winter day. Make sure you have it with a cold beer and a big napkin around your neck!

#5 in my list of favorite sandwiches!

Servings: 4 - 6 people

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
4 to 6 fresh Italian sandwich rolls, optional

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on both sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain.

Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, basil, and garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the Marsala wine, tomatoes, and chili flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. Bring to a simmer.

Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each, about 1-inch cubes. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.

Split the rolls in half lengthwise. Hollow out the bread from the bottom side of each roll, being careful not to puncture the crust. Fill the bottom half of the roll with sausage mixture. Top and serve sandwiches immediately.

Recipe: Giada de Laurentis