This soup is simply divine. I love everything about it. From the simplicity of making it, to the rich flavor that is achieved through the cooking process. The sweet flavor of the red bell pepper is intensified when they’re roasted. I have a gas stovetop and begin the cooking process with the bell pepper directly on the burner with the flame on medium. What you’re looking for is a really good char. This can also be achieved on the grill, or under your broiler.

INGREDIENTS
5 Red Peppers, roasted
4 cups Vegetable Broth
½ cup Heavy Cream
3 Tbsp Olive oil
Pinch of Salt
Sour Cream, garnish (optional)
Sprig of Fresh Parsley, garnish (optional)

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and roast the red peppers over an open flame.
Place in a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, or until soft.
Remove from oven and allow to cool, before handling.
Once the peppers are cool, remove skin, stem and seeds, and discard. (I actually like to leave the skin on mine, but it’s up to you.)
Place peppers in the food processor or blender, adding broth if needed for processing.
Process until you get the desired consistency (I like mine with a little texture).
Place peppers in a medium size saucepan, add in the broth and heavy cream.
Heat on medium until hot.
Stir in olive oil.
Add salt to taste.
Enjoy!

Quiche is perfect for any meal! I made this for brunch, served with a side salad. Soup is also a great accompaniment, since colder weather is on the way.

Truth be known, quiche is great for using up those few veggies you have in the bin, or leftover cheese. I used Gruyere and Manchego cheese in this quiche because I happened to have some leftover pieces. Any cheese will work. This would be great with cheddar and jack, or Swiss would be delicious! It’s basically an egg pie. So once you get the base of eggs and cream, it’s ready for whatever veggies and cheese you like.

INGREDIENTS
1 Pie Crust (homemade or store-bought)
5 large Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream (or Half and Half)
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 cob of Corn (corn cut from cob)
1 small Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 cups Cheese, shredded (I used Gruyere and Manchego)
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
½ tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Salt
Ground Black Pepper, to taste

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Get your pie crust ready in the pie pan, and set aside.
In a large bowl beat together 5 eggs and 1 cup of cream (or Half and Half).
Stir in the scallions, corn, red bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to incorporate.
Stir in the cheese of your choice and carefully pour into the pie crust, being sure to distribute the filling evenly.
Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until top is firm and feels set when you gently touch it.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Note: if top starts to brown before it is fully cooked, you can place a sheet of tin foil loosely over the pie to keep it from getting too brown.

I love vegetables and these cauliflower steaks are absolutely delicious. Served with jasmine rice and a side of sautéed mushrooms, it’s a hearty meal. Plus, it’s a unique way to serve cauliflower – making it the star!

This recipes serves 2

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
1/4 cup freshly cracked Peppercorns, crushed
2 slices of Cauliflower, cut 1″ thick
2 Tbsp Brandy or Cognac
3/4 cup Vegetable Broth
Pinch of Salt

METHOD
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place oil, butter and peppercorns in cast iron skillet over medium heat, stirring until butter melts and the peppercorns are toasty and releasing their flavor.
Place sliced cauliflower in skillet and cook on one side about 2 minutes.
Place skillet in the oven and cook 10 minutes, turn cauliflower over and cook another 10 minutes.
Remove skillet from oven, gently take cauliflower out and set aside on serving plates.
Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat.
Carefully add brandy to pan (caution: it will flame up, also do not pour directly from bottle).
Once flames are gone, stir in broth and season with a pinch of salt.
Allow to simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Top the cauliflower with the peppercorn sauce and enjoy right away!

We eat salmon at least once a week! It’s so good for you, touted as one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Loaded with Vitamin B12 (over 200% of the daily recommended value), Vitamin D, Selenium, Vitamin B3, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Protein, Phosphorus, Vitamin B6, Iodine, Choline, Vitamin B5, Biotin and Potassium. Plus, Omega-3s have been proven to kill cancer cells!

Did I mention that it’s delicious…. Here’s one of my favorite ways to prepare it, and there’s easy clean-up if you use tin foil to cover the baking pan.

INGREDIENTS
2 pieces of Salmon (wild caught is best!)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Lemon, zest and juice
Fresh Dill, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil it.
Place your salmon on top.
Drizzle olive oil on top of the salmon.
Evenly coat with lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until just cooked through.
Enjoy!

I love making pizza at home. It’s really simple to make the dough yourself. The recipe below is my favorite for pizza crust & flatbread (rolled extra thin) and it turns out perfect every time. However, you always have the option to buy a ready made pizza crust, and there’s lots of great options in the grocery store. Anyway, I think the best part of making pizza at home is topping it with all your favorites… and lots of cheese!

The recipe I’m sharing today has become our new family favorite. The toppings are simple, but the flavor is anything but simple!!

Makes one 12” pizza

INGREDIENTS
For Dough:
1 cup warm water
2 ½ tsp dry active Yeast
1 Tbsp Honey
2 ½ to 3 cups all-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Pizza Sauce:
1/2 cup Cilantro
1/4 cup picked Jalapeños
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Cumin

Toppings:
2 to 3 cups of shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 cup fresh Corn
½ red Onion, thinly sliced
½ cup Black Olives, halved
2 Tbsp Capers
More picked jalapeños, optional (but nice if you like it spicy)

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the honey and warm water together in a small bowl.
Add the yeast to the water and let it sit for 15 minutes until a nice foam forms from the yeast growing.
Place flour and salt in a mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment and slowly add the yeast mixture.
Mix on medium-high for about 5 minutes, until the dough becomes elastic and firm.
Remove dough from bowl and rub lightly with olive oil.
Place in a bowl and cover with a clean dry towel.
Let sit in a warm place to rise for 20 minutes (it should double in size).

While the dough is rising you can make the sauce for the pizza.
Blend the cilantro, pickled jalapeños, olive oil, lime juice and cumin together in the food processor until a smooth paste is formed.
Set aside until you have your pizza crust ready to top.

After the dough has risen, place it on a floured surface.
If you want to make smaller individual pizzas cut dough into portions, or use for one large pizza.
Roll out to desired thickness and size, or shape using your hands, gently stretching the dough into the shape you desire.
Place dough onto a lightly greased pizza baking pan.
Spoon the cilantro sauce onto the pizza crust and spread evenly.
Evenly distribute the cheese and toppings on the crust.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or so, depending on the thickness of the crust.
Remove, cut into slices and serve.

For a crispier crust, cook your pizza crust for about 7 minutes before topping it with anything! That’s always an option.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
Udon Noodles (enough for 2)
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 cups Broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups Red Cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup Carrots, julienned
3 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar

METHOD
Cook Udon Noodles according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

In a medium saucepan add the sesame and vegetable oils, over medium heat.
Add the broccoli, red cabbage, carrots and garlic.
Saute veggies for about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the scallions, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl, and set aside.
Once the veggies are done, turn the heat to medium-low and add the Udon Noodles to the pot.
Pour the soy sauce mixture on top of noodles and gently toss together until everything is coated with the sauce.
Allow to warm up for a few minutes before serving.

Options: Add cooked chicken, shrimp, scallops or beef… or the veggies of your choice.

People always ask me if I cook at home, since I’m cooking everyday at The Curious Kitchen. My answer is “yes” – because dishes like this one come together in 20 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, I prepare the sauce. A quick tasty side salad of Arugula, Tomato, Shredded Mozzarella with Vinegar & Oil… and dinner is served!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb dry Spaghetti
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 ounces Pancetta, cubed
4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
2 large Eggs
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
1 handful Parsley, chopped (save some for garnish)
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper

METHOD
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

In a heavy saucepan add the olive oil and pancetta.
Sauté for about 3 minutes, until the pancetta is crisp.
Add the garlic into the pan and sauté for less than 1 minute to soften.
In a separate bowl mix the eggs with the Parmesan Cheese, stirring to remove any lumps.
As soon as the pasta is ready, remove it from the hot water using a pasta spoon and add it into the pancetta saucepan (do not throw out the pasta water!).
It is very important that the pasta is really hot; because the heat of the pasta will cook the raw eggs, so stir in the egg mixture in quickly.
Add a little, about ¼ cup, of the reserved hot pasta water to thin out the sauce.
Season pasta with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper.
Taste and season with salt, if needed
Mound the Carbonara into warm serving bowls.
Garnish with parsley and serve with additional Parmesan Cheese, if desired.
Enjoy!