The Hidden Treasures of my Kitchen Cabinet
05 February 2008
We have only few weeks to go until we leave for Japan, so last weekend I started combing through my kitchen to get an overview of all the things that need to be used up. As I had expected, I found quite a few little treasures in the depth of my kitchen cabinet.
Among others, I found a little box of saffron, as well as a glass of pimientos del piquillo, a specialty I had brought from my last visit to Spain. Those delicious braised red peppers have a very characteristic taste, and their almost triangular shape makes them perfect for stuffing. They are sold in jam glasses or cans and can be kept almost forever; outside Spain you are most likely to find them in (Spanish) delicatessen stores.
The way I stuffed them last weekend was not authentically Spanish though, but – let’s say – rather kind of an overall Mediterranean fusion. In addition to a meat and aubergine filling (which reminded me of France) I prepared some polenta (the Italian component), of which I still have almost endless supply. The saffron sauce gave this aromatic combination another special twist.
The recipe has become a bit long through all these different components I created in my cooking enthusiasm. I did my best though to describe it all just step by step!
Stuffed Pimientos del Piquillo with Saffron Sauce
| serves 4 as a main course |
| 2 glasses/tins of pimientos del piquillo (approx. 600g) |
| some butter for the baking dish |
for the meat stuffing |
| 250g minced meat (beef) |
| 1 mid-sized aubergine |
| 1 onion |
| 1 clove of garlic |
| 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped basil |
| 75ml crème fraîche |
| 1 egg yolk |
| salt and pepper |
| some oil for frying |
for the polenta stuffing |
| 2 cups of polenta (200-240g) |
| 2 cups of milk |
| 4 cups of water |
| 1-2 vegetable stock cubes |
| some freshly grated nutmeg |
| 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley |
| 2 egg yolks |
| 20-30g butter |
for the saffron sauce |
| 2 tablespoons of icing sugar |
| 2 tablespoons of tomato purée |
| 400ml vegetable stock |
| 100ml crème fraîche |
| 1/2 tea spoon of saffron |
Pre-heat the oven at 200°C and butter a baking dish (which should have a lid).
Boil the polenta in milk and water and season it with 1-2 stock cubes and some freshly ground nutmeg. Let it cook until largely soft, then add the freshly chopped parsley and stir in the butter. Let it cool down until lukewarm and stir in the egg yolks (the polenta should be cool enough to keep the egg from clotting).
[more on how to prepare polenta]
For the meat stuffing, dice the aubergine into pieces of about 5mm. Slightly salt them and put them aside for a while, which should make them soft and tender. Finely chop the onion and fry it in a bit of olive oil. Once it is slightly browned, shift it to the side of the pan and use the free space to briefly fry the garlic, mashed through a garlic press. Before it gets brown, stir with the onions, add the minced meat and sear it until somewhat browned. For the last minute or so, add the aubergine cubes as well as the freshly chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Once the mixture has slightly cooled down, stir in the crème fraîche and the egg yolk. Once again, the egg should not clot.
Now take the pimientos out of the glass or can and stuff about 2/3 of them with the meat and 1/3 with the polenta filling. Keep the rest of the polenta to serve as a side dish. Pile the stuffed peppers up in the buttered oven dish, making sure that the filling does not fall out. Cover with a lid and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes. Then uncover, garnish with a few teaspoons of crème fraîche on top and leave it in the oven for another 10 minutes.
While the peppers are in the oven, melt the icing sugar in a small pot or pan. Once it starts to caramelize, add the tomato purée while stirring well. After a few seconds add the vegetable stock and stir until the tomato purée has dissolved. Add the saffron (be careful – even small amounts leave a very strong flavour!) and let it simmer until the sauce has somewhat thickened. Season to taste with the crème fraîche, and just before serving stir in the butter.
To serve, arrange the stuffed pimientos on the plates and garnish with the saffron sauce; offer the remaining polenta as a side dish.
| Suggestions for Starters | Suggestions for Desserts |
|---|---|
