By Lisa Hanson, Wylde Center Farm to School Educator
Wylde Center is excited to be participating in Georgia Organics’ Pepper Palooza this October. We will be doing taste tests on our school visits and field trips as well as harvesting peppers and using them in our lessons.
If you walk through any of the Wylde Center gardens at Oakhurst or Edgewood, you will see all sorts of peppers ranging from green bell peppers to yellow Hungarian peppers – both sweet and hot – to jalapenos and all the way up the Scoville heat scale to the very hot orange Scotch bonnets and Habaneros and bright red Thai bird chili peppers. And they all seem to arrive at once which means that it is Pepper Palooza time in Georgia!
Raw, roasted or sauteed, each type of pepper adds an unmistakable pop to any dish. Here are some classic recipes and a few classics “with a twist.”
Honey Pepper Relish
This quick and easy relish packs a punch and is great served with chicken or old-school style
with cracker and cream cheese. Blitz the peppers for a few seconds, then add remaining ingredients, Let the ingredients meld
together for a few hours then store in the refrigerate for up to a week.
- 2 cups mixed hot and sweet peppers (your call)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 2 cups Wylde Center Honey Next Door honey or try our hot honey!
Peanut Romesco Sauce/Dip
This classic sauce, usually made with almonds, gets a Southern twist with peanuts. Great with
chicken, fish, roasted potatoes or just plain.
- 1/2 pound small sweet peppers
- 1/2 cup salted peanuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste (peanuts add salt, so adjust accordingly.)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Coat a heavy skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil, add the peppers and roast them at 350
degrees for about 20 minutes, or until they’re just beginning to brown. Remove and let cool
slightly, then pull off the stems. Blitz the peanuts and garlic in a food processor or blender for a minute or so until you have
crumbles — not peanut butter. Add the de-stemmed peppers, vinegar, olive oil and paprika. Blitz for another minute or so, then taste and add salt if needed. Refrigerate for up to a week.
Quick Pepper White Bean Soup
If you have already roasted peppers, this soup is ready in minutes and perfect for a Fall lunch or light supper. In a food processor, combine red peppers and any juices and the beans along with their liquid. Blend until smooth and serve hot or cold with crusty bread. Garnish with fresh oregano if feeling fancy.
- 2 cups roasted red peppers
- 2 cups canned white beans
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Ratatouille
You’ve probably seen the movie so if a rat can make it, so can you! The trick to a really good ratatouille is cooking each component separately. It’s delicious hot or at room temperature and is even better the next day. You could also use yellow squash and I like to add fennel.
- 4 red peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 eggplant, peeled, cut into cubes and salted for 10 minutes
- 2 zucchini, cut into rounds
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 small can whole peeled tomatoes
- Olive oil, for cooking
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Shredded basil for garnish
Working one vegetable at a time, sautee the peppers, eggplant, zucchini and onion. Transfer each to a large Dutch oven (or similar) as you go along. Add minced garlic, balsamic vinegar and canned tomatoes (crush with your hands. Simmer on top of the stove for 30 minutes.
Tian of Peppers, Squash, Onions and Tomatoes
You can this a simpler Ratatouille as far as preparation but it’s a little bit fancier for serving at the table.
- 2 red or yellow peppers
- 2 green or yellow squash
- 1 large sweet onion
- 4 tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Breadcrumbs and garlic (optional)
Use whatever colors please you. Slice all vegetables evenly and arrange in a pretty pattern in a baking dish.Drizzle with olive oil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes until softened and slightly browned. If desired, blitz together breadcrumbs and garlic with some olive oil and scatter over the top for the last ten minutes of baking.