Fruits & Vegetables

     Have you been thinking about more "fruits" that we consider to be vegetables after yesterday's discussion of the tomato as a fruit?  Consider some other members of the nightshade family like the capsicums, the peppers that we enjoy in a variety of ways.  They, too begin as a tender blossom and then mature into what Columbus mistakenly termed peppers.  In fact they have no relation to the black pepper of India and the Orient.  They are essentially hollow berries with a thin crisp wall and are the defining element of numerous cuisines from Mexico, Spain, & Hungary to many Asian countries, especially Korea.  Some are perhaps best known for their spicy heat which can trigger the pain and heat receptors in our mouths that many have come to love in a perverse way.

    

      They come in all sorts of shapes and colors and are rich in lutein which benefits vision.  Peppers have other health benefits, too, including increasing our metabolic rate so that we burn more calories.  They also cause us to feel less hungry, more satiated, thus encouraging us to eat less.  So by consuming hot peppers we burn more of the fewer calories that we do eat.
     It was chemist Professor Wilbur Scoville who developed the pungency (heat) scale of peppers back in 1912.  He rated peppers according to what we now know as the Scoville Unit with green bell peppers at 0 on one end of the scale and the fiery Naga Jolokia Ghost Pepper at the other extreme at over 1,000,000.  The familiar Habanero, or Scotch Bonnet, coming in at somewhere in between with a score of 80,000-150,000.
     Here is a recipe I enjoy that showcases the bell pepper's versatility:

ROASTED BELL PEPPERS

1 Tbsp EVOO                                               1/4 lb baby spinach

1 red onion, chopped                                 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms                          3/4 tsp ground cumin

1 cup chopped carrots                               1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and cooked

7 bell peppers                                              salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped parsley                           1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews

     Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until transparent, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes more.  Add carrots and 1 of the peppers, chopped.  Cook until just softened, then add parsley and spinach (in batches if necessary).  Let spinach wilt and then stir in cinnamon, cumin and cooked quinoa and toss gently to combine.  Add salt, pepper and cashews and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.  Set aside to let filling cool until just warm.

     Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9"x13" baking pan with oil then set aside.  Cut the tops off of the remaining 6 peppers and core and seed them.

     Divide the quinoa mixture evenly among the peppers, gently packing it down and making sure to fully fill each pepper.  Top each with its reserved top then arrange them upright in prepared pan.  If necessary trim the bottom of the peppers so that they stand straight.  Cover snugly with foil and bake until pepper are tender and juicy and filling is hot throughout, about 1 hour.  Transfer to plates and serve.

     Interested in a great recipe for our previously mentioned fruit, the tomato?  Well just click on this link for a way to prepare those garden beauties this summer.