When I first learned that Bell Pepper was the theme for the 11th week of the Steemit Iron-Chef challenge, I was a bit perplexed. I like bell peppers, don't get me wrong, but I don't typically feature them in foods that I cook.
After a bit of contemplation and a lot of procrastinating, I settled on creating a twist on the soul-satisfying classic, arancini (Italian rice balls), loaded with finely diced bell pepper and stuffed with goat cheese. The arancini would be served atop three distinct colorful bell pepper sauces, and topped with a sweet and spicy bell pepper chutney.
I think this is one of the most delicious entries I've made thus far. The bell pepper arancini are crispy on the outside and absolutely creamy on the inside. I used many of the tips that I read about on Serious Eats.
Bell Pepper Arancini:
- Saute the onion and bell pepper in olive oil until they just begin to soften
- Add salt, pepper, and all purpose seasoning to taste
- Add 2 cups short grain rice
- Add homemade chicken stock (3 cups)
- Cook on stovetop (or pressure cooker) until rice is tender
- Make a roux with 2T butter and 2T flour
- Add 1/4 c milk and 3/4 c chicken stock, whisking frequently, until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes
- Add dried thyme and salt to taste
- Remove from heat and whisk 2 beaten eggs into the sauce
- Combine the rice and the bechamel sauce
- Spread the mixture on sheet pans, and allow to cool in the fridge
- Roll the cooled arancini filling into balls, and stuff a little piece of goat cheese in the center of each.
- Coat each arancini in a slurry of equal parts flour and water
- Coat in a 1:1 mixture of whole wheat breadcrumbs and Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs.
- Fry in about 4 inches of vegetable oil until the outside is golden brown.
The three bell pepper sauces.
- First, roast the peppers in the oven until they are softened and gorgeous.
- Each of the sauces was done quickly in my handy dandy refurbished vitamix :)
Sauce #1. Red bell pepper, roasted hazelnuts, salt, pomegranate vinegar, olive oil
Sauce #2: Yellow bell pepper, goat cheese, roasted almonds, salt, olive oil
Sauce #3: Green bell pepper, spinach, avocado, olive oil, salt
The sweet and spicy bell pepper chutney
- Dice 1/8 white onion and 1/2 each red and orange bell peppers
- Combine with pomegranate vinegar, 1 t sugar, 1/4 t salt, and 1/2 t cayenne pepper
- Cook over medium heat for barely 3 minutes, just to get the flavors to mingle a bit.
Here's my proof photo this week:
I hope you've enjoyed this recipe, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
If you're interested in being a part of the Steemit IronChef Competition, don't forget to check out the details at 
. A huge thanks to 
for coming up with this awesome way to showcase our food creations and build community with each other here on Steemit. Looking forward to continuing this competition!!
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