August 2023 – Peppers

Pepper Boats

Katie Shirk, Ephrata

• 2 red or green peppers
• ½ cup shredded or diced ham
• ½ cup shredded cheese
• 1 cup crushed saltine crackers (optional)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

Wash and quarter peppers. Mix rest of ingredients and fill pepper cavities.

Note: Peppers can also be filled with ham salad.

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Pepper Relish

Lori Stevens, Denver

• 12 red peppers
• 12 green peppers
• 12 medium onions
• 6 cups vinegar
• 6 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons salt

Grind peppers and onions in a food chopper using a course blade. Put into colander and pour boiling water over all. Drain well. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt; add peppers and onions. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Seal in hot sterilized pint jars.

Makes 9 pints.

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Colorful Grilled Veggies

Kris Zimmerman, Lititz

• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1 medium green pepper, sliced
• 1 medium red pepper, sliced
• 1 medium red onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Divide the vegetables between two pieces of aluminum foil (about 18” square).

In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients; drizzle over vegetables.

Fold foil around the veggies and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until veggies are crisp-tender.

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Inside Out Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Kris Zimmerman, Lititz

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup rice (not instant)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1½ cups spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Boil broth and pour over rice in a greased 9”x13” pan.

Brown meat with pepper and onion; drain well. Add sauce and pour over rice. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes uncovered.

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Creamy Green Pepper Dressing

Pat Roth, Ephrata

“This is my favorite dressing I make to put on my salads.”

• 1½ cups of real mayonnaise
• ½ cup finely chopped green pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup Karo light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper

In a bowl, stir together all ingredients until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to blend flavors.

Makes 2¼ cups.

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Tomato, Potato & Pepper Casserole

Pat Roth, Ephrata

• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• 2 large all-purpose potatoes (about 1 lb.), scrubbed and sliced ¼” thick (3½ cups)
• 2 small red, yellow or green peppers (about 12 oz.), cored, seeded and sliced ½” thick (2½ cups)
• 2 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb.), cored and sliced ¼” thick (2½ cups)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Heat oven to 375°F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of oil over the bottom of a shallow 1½ to 2 quart baking dish.

Layer half of the potatoes, slightly overlapping, in the dish. Top with half of the peppers, then half of the sliced tomatoes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with half of the garlic, salt, pepper and oregano.

Repeat layers again using the remaining ingredients.

Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender.

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Corn & Pepper Cakes

Pat Roth, Ephrata

• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
• 2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
• 10 oz. bag frozen whole kernel corn, cooked, OR kernels from 4 ears of fresh corn
• 1 small bell pepper, finely chopped
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

Beat the flour, milk, sugar, salt, pepper and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Stir in the corn and bell pepper.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy. Fold corn mixture into the egg whites.

Heat the oil in a 10” skillet. Drop the corn mixture by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil. Fry about 30 seconds on each side, until golden brown.

Makes about 6 servings.

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Unstuffed Pepper Soup

Gloria Dougherty, Akron

• 1½ lb. ground beef
• 3 large green peppers, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• (2) 14.5 oz. cans beef broth
• (2) 10.75 oz. cans condensed tomato soup, undiluted
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup uncooked rice

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook beef, green peppers and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the broth, soup and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add rice. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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Polish Burgers

Mary Ann Dell, East Earl

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• ½ green pepper, diced
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
• cooking spray with olive oil

Mix together ground beef, onion, egg, ketchup and salt in a bowl; mix in the bread pieces until evenly distributed. Form four patties out of the mixture.

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Cook the burgers until well-browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook until meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes.

Serves 4.

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BBQ Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

Mary Ann Dell, East Earl

• olive oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets
• 1 red onion
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 zucchini
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 2 ears corn
• 1/2 cup original BBQ sauce

Lightly oil and preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Cut chicken and vegetables into bite-size pieces. Arrange the ingredients on skewers, alternating between the chicken and vegetables.

Place kabobs on grill and brush with BBQ sauce. Turn kabobs after about 7 minutes, and brush with BBQ sauce again. Cook for a total of 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

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Filled Peppers

Ella Reiff, Ephrata

“Nice for picnics. Recipe came from a friend in Virginia.”

• 1½ lbs. Velveeta cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• ¹/₃ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¹/₃ cup Miracle Whip
• black pepper (optional)
• 1 sleeve saltine crackers
• 8 to 10 bell peppers

When cheese has softened, mix with vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Miracle Whip and black pepper. Break saltine crackers into small pieces and combine with cheese mixture. Fill fresh peppers. Keep cold.

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Candied Jalapeños (Cowboy Candy)

Susan Frampton, New Holland

“Southern recipe – I moved to New Holland after 63 years in Alabama. Love it in Lancaster County! These are very good on pulled pork sandwiches or spooned over cream cheese eaten with a cracker.”

• 3 pounds firm, fresh jalapeño peppers, washed
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 6 cups white granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoons turmeric
• ½ teaspoons celery seed
• 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeño peppers by slicing a small disc off of the stem end; discard. Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8” to 1/4” rounds. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4” of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.

Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeño slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

If you do not want to can these to the point of shelf stable, you can simply put the jars in your refrigerator and store them there. If you wish to can them, follow the instructions below.

Note: Leftover syrup may be canned as well. It’s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad!

To can, place jars in a canner and cover with water by 2”. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth, then label.

Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating.