Peppers

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summer

In the last few years I’ve begun to take the easy way out with excess peppers. I core them and throw them in a freezer bag and into the freezer they go. Done.

This works well if you need peppers for a cooked recipe. I remove them whole and cut them into quarters if I want to grill them, dice them for a mirepoix or other sauteing mixture – all while they’re still frozen. I do the same with hot peppers and sweet peppers.

Peppers are also good dehydrated. They’re fabulous for making pepper jelly and you can puree them (maybe with some garlic and/or onion) to keep on hand (frozen in small quantities) for adding to chilis, stews and spaghetti sauce.

If you’re planning to use yours fresh, refrigerate them unless you’re going to use them tomorrow. Lots of water in those pepper walls means they’ll start to wilt if just left on the countertop for too long. That said, I’ve had luck towards the end of the season (cooler weather) in keeping my peppers on the counter (and keeping an eye on them) and watching them turn from green to red (or whatever color that variety ripens to). Then if I still haven’t used them, they can go into the refrigerator in a ventilated plastic bag to keep for a little longer.

(2023) Burnt Eggplant and Bell Pepper Dip

And we got two beautiful eggplant, so I’m going to try the Burnt Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip below, using the poblano peppers and banana peppers that came today as well. If you’re not familiar with the way Riverview manages things, the peppers in the plastic bag are usually hot ones, with the bag to distinguish them from sweeter peppers. Poblanos are one of those maybe-they’ll-be-hot-maybe-they-won’t peppers, but for this recipe it won’t matter. My favorite way to eat eggplant is roasted, so there are lots of roasted eggplant recipes at grassfedcow.com.

(2023) 5-Ingredient Apple Cider Vinaigrette

And for the cucumbers and sweet peppers and tomatoes and radishes, I’m going to make them into a big salad and dress them with this Apple Cider Vinaigrette recipe from Emily Nunn and the Department of Salad. I’ll make a bigger batch and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator to anoint salads for the next week or two. AND I’m going to slice an apple or two into the salad. Love adding fruit to salads. That little bit of sweet crunch is always a welcome surprise.

(2023) Summer Skillet Corn, with Peppers, Eggplant, Tomato and Za’atar

I am tempted to just chop everything up and make a big salad with a little of everything in it – yes, raw corn, and YES, raw okra. And that will be dinner tonight. But eventually we’ll want something else, so I’ve got three ideas here – two from my go-to New York Times (cold noodles with tomatoes!) but one that was demonstrated at the Decatur Farmers Market. I have to say that I truly miss restaurant chef demos at local farmers markets. At once time that was a mainstay of the markets and always a source of creative inspiration … now they’re extremely rare, but the Community Farmers Market folks have local cooks who do demos most every week, and their recipes are perhaps a bit more practical and maybe easier to pull off.

So here’s the loosely written recipe for “summer skillet corn, with peppers, eggplant, tomato and za’atar” that was demonstrated at the Decatur Farmers Market. We don’t have eggplant in this week’s box, but you’ve got everything else and if there’s no za’atar at your house, just use whatever seasoning mix is on hand.

(2022) Roasted Poblano Strips with Cream (Rajas a la Crema)

This week’s box included a small bag of hot peppers with jalapenos, habaneros, and poblanos. The heat in poblanos can vary – sometimes mild, sometimes hot. This recipe came my way from the Splendid Table and is originally from Rick Bayless’ cookbook More Mexican Everyday. I like to save up my poblanos until I have enough for this recipe, but you could also substitute some bell peppers. The recipe suggests using the rajas as part of a vegetarian taco filling. We did that, then enjoyed the remainder in a creamy chicken dish later in the week. In addition to vegetarian tacos, rajas are the perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or fish tacos, to steak or pork chops, or to grilled, sauteed, or broiled fish or chicken.

(2022) Sausage & New Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

And for the potatoes, I’m going to make this Sausage and New Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, also from The Cook’s Warehouse. These cooler evenings put me in the mood for dishes with smoked sausage. And it’s a chance to use some of those bountiful peppers from today’s box.

(2022) Matthew Reeves’ Ratatouille

With so many peppers and that pretty eggplant, it’s time to make ratatouille. Down below is the recipe I’ve adapted from one provided by Matthew Reeves, who with his wife Maggie Reeves, hosts a drop-off for Riverview boxes. What I love is that there are almost no quantities given (just a size for one can of crushed tomatoes). Ratatouille really must have been created as a delicious way to use up summer vegetables and you can juggle quantities of ingredients to suit what you have… and what you like. We didn’t get zucchini this week (at least not in my box) but we got eggplant, yellow squash, lots of peppers, and garlic. You could use the red onion that we got today if you like, or maybe you have some yellow onions on hand. At our house, we’re not big rosemary fans, so we’re leaving that out.

(2022) Cold Peanut Noodle Salad with Cucumbers

And because we have a bounty of cucumbers, I’ll make the Cold Peanuts Noodle Salad with Cucumbers from Alexander Stafford, down below. We like the dressing a little sweeter, so we add some honey.

(2021) Pimento Cheese & Crackers

We received a pretty red pepper in our box this week — an inspiration to reach out to Annie (the pre-pandemic Rogue Baker of Grant Park) for her excellent pimento cheese recipe. With thanks to Annie, here it is.

(2021) Charlotte’s Favorite Sausages & Veggies in Rice

Last night I finally tried Charlotte’s go-to recipe, sausages cooked in rice. I think we found a new family favorite, and another way to hide 3 cups of squash. (Psst: they didn’t even know it was in there!) That tomato in my box that didn’t survive its encounter with the watermelon? It joined the squash and onion in the rice. The end result was similar to risotto all cooked in a single skillet. Bueno.

(2021) Shakshuka

The box also prompted me to find this non-recipe recipe from the folks at Aluma Farm for Shakshuka. We have at least one version in the tomato recipe section of grassfedcow.com. But some may prefer this no-recipe approach using the tomatoes, the onion, and a pepper or two from the box. Add eggs, and it’s dinner. Add toast and it’s a delicious meal.

(2021) Speedy Summer Gazpacho

For a recipe that won’t heat up the kitchen, I’m considering this easy gazpacho published in a story called “Eat to Beat Illness” by Rupy Aujla. It calls for a few more tomatoes that were in the box, but …. you could use some cherry tomatoes, you could just cut down on tomatoes, or maybe just like me, you bought some tomatoes last weekend at a farmers market and have a few to spare. The proportion of ingredients is totally up to you and what’s sitting on your counter. The recipe calls for serving right from the food processor, but I’m going to chill mine before serving. Which I guess defeats the “speedy” of the title, but I just like my gazpacho cold!

(2020) Lentil and Roasted Pepper Salad

if you’re up for a project, I’ve got a suggestion. It’s a lentil salad with roasted peppers and tomatoes. I have no idea where the recipe came from, but it called for tuna. Sometimes I use that. Sometimes I just leave it out. I often forget how much I love lentils, then when I’m reminded, I eat them for several weeks in a row. I’ve got a lentil-butternut squash salad waiting in the wings for when butternut squash returns to our box.

(2019) Whipped Chèvre with Candied Sweet Peppers

That little bag of lunchbox peppers reminded me of this recipe from Jenn Robbins of Good Foods Kitchen (yes, I am such a fan of hers). We ran it in the AJC after she demoed them at Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Use the little peppers and augment with some of the bigger ones. Perfect for entertaining and it’s getting to be that time of year. If you don’t have a hot pepper on hand, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

(2019) Green Goddess Dip with Vegetables and Homemade Pita Chips   

In case you still need some pepper or green bean inspiration, I’ve got a way to enjoy them as raw vegetables with dip. It makes me happy to have a platter of cut up vegetables and dip standing by while we’re sitting here enjoying sunsets at the beach. I’ll make the dip and buy my vegetables from a local farm stand.

(2019) Shakshuka

A box like this week’s has me thinking “shakshuka.” (With the most tomatoes in one box that I think I’ve seen all year.) And I’m amazed to see I’ve never posted a recipe for this versatile dish – baked eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. So look below for a recipe adapted from one at from feelgoodfoodie.net. This one is actually pretty basic – so add hot pepper flakes or other forms of heat as your household prefers.

(2018) Sesame Noodles with Summer (or in our case, Fall) Vegetables

There are several other soup recipes there, and a few ideas for pickling and more ways to roast carrots. But I think I’m going to try this ancient recipe from Bon Appetit. All I need to add to what came in the box is a bunch of cilantro and a few green onions. You could add some protein, too..

(2018) Chopped Salad

Here’s one more idea for a salad using many of the things in this week’s box. You want to make it ahead so the vegs have a chance to marinated. It’s perfect for a potluck – just take all the containers of vegs, then assemble onsite.

(2017) Mexican Stuffed Peppers

I’ve been making a bunch of stuffed peppers this year. Usually it’s a quick and easy dish to put together, especially when I cook them in a slow cooker. This recipe from “Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook” calls for frozen corn. Use it or not. And you can substitute some chopped fresh tomatoes for the can of stewed tomatoes called for here.

(2017) Herbed Fromage Blanc with Peppers

Brandon Dienger of Restaurant Eugene demoed this recipe at last week’s Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Cut those peppers into wedges and then top with these herbed cheese.

He made it with Woodsman and Wife fromage blanc, but it would be just as delicious with Decimal Place chevre, or any soft cheese you prefer.

(2017) Storing Jalapenos in Brine

This idea works with any hot peppers. Sometimes more than one jalapeno is overwhelming for folks, so store these away and they’ll be good for use in the next few months. It’s a nice idea to store them in a salt water brine rather than in pickled (with vinegar) form. The idea came from Cook’s Country magazine.

(2017) Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffed Peppers

I’m making two versions of slow cooker stuffed peppers tomorrow. One will be this recipe from newleafwellness.com, cutting up my fresh tomatoes instead of using canned tomatoes. But I’m also going to make a simpler version. I bought mild sausage from Charlotte at Freedom Farmers Market Saturday. I’m going to use that to stuff a few peppers as well. Nothing else, just the sausage. We’ll see which we like better.

(2017) Peppers with Feta Sauce

As long as you’re heating up the grill for those pickles, go ahead and grill your peppers (still have one or two from last week?) for this adaptation of a recipe from Southern Living.

(2017) Ratatouille Quiche

Finally, a pretty complicated recipe from Frank Stitt of Birmingham’s Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Cafe and Chez Fonfon. Delicious and worth the time it takes to make it. Maybe this could be a project for this weekend? Do you have some zucchini left from last week? Perfect. If not, maybe substitute another eggplant for the squash called for her.

(2017) Gazpacho with Tomato Sherbet

I love gazpacho, especially when it’s as hot as it is right now. This recipe is from “Julia Reed’s South: Spirited Entertaining and High-Style Fun All Year Long.” There’s the gazpacho and then there’s a sherbet. You can make one or the other, or both – but it’s a very impressive combination if you can make the time to do the sherbet. Gazpacho goes together in minutes.

(2017) Summer Succotash

I wish I remembered where this came from. But it’s a great way to use the corn and peppers from today’s box. We don’t have field peas yet, but I’m betting we’ll see some soon. And this is delicious without field peas – so consider maybe dicing up a zucchini if you have one left from last week. It’s an easy recipe for a slow cooker.

(2017) Summer Bread Salad

Craig Richards of St. Cecilia demoed this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Love the combination of melon, cucumber and peppers.

Indian Slaw

Adapted from a recipe by Raghavan Iyer, author of “The Turmeric Trail.”

Vegetarian Chili

This is a recipe from Margaret Roach, a former Martha Stewart staffer and now author of “A Way to Garden.” She recommends this chili as a way to use up bits of beans you may have stocked in the freezer (she grows all kinds of beans in her New York State garden), but you can use canned beans and all the wonderful peppers from today’s box. She suggests you can also add some of your greens to the chili. Great idea!

Deborah Madison’s Romesco Sauce

This is an all-purpose recipe. Delicious on crostini, on roast vegetables or potatoes, stirred into a soup or served with beans. I remember reading about Romesco sauce for years and never thinking it would be something I’d like. Then I had to make it for a column for the paper – delicious! Now I’m a huge fan. This recipe comes from “Vegetable Literacy” by Deborah Madison.

Pepper-Tomato Flatbreads

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, combine tomatoes, pepper, onion, and parsley and process to reach the consistency of a thin sauce. Place this mixture in a mixing bowl with the ground meat, olive oil, paprika, cumin, pepper, and salt. Manually mix until all ingredients are integrated. The mix Read More…

Escalivada

This recipe is from Eric Roberts of The Iberian Pig and was demonstrated at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market this summer. A lovely side dish, a lovely snack all by itself.

Tomato Margarita with Fennel Salt

But first, a recipe for those tomatoes. You’ve eaten fresh tomatoes all summer, now start fall with a Tomato Margarita from seriouseats.com. You could do this with your peppers, too. Or combine the peppers and tomatoes. Delish. And so easy.

Slow-Cooker Brunch Casserole

Love the slow cooker in the summer. Easy meal and less heat in the kitchen. I don’t remember the original provenance of this recipe. Sorry. Don’t forget to use your favorite Riverview sausage. Perfect if you’re having Labor Day company.

Summer Squash Salad Sliders

Jon Wolf of The Terrace on Peachtree at The Ellis Hotel demoed this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market five years ago. It’s such a nice idea – raw, chopped vegetables as a slider – that I’m resurrecting it here. You could serve this as a simple salad as well, but it’s kind of fun to surprise people with a vegetable sandwich.

Layered Vegetable Torte

This one takes its inspiration from the New York Times. It will use the eggplant, squash, peppers, tomato, onion and garlic. There are a million vegetable torte ideas out there. I like this one right now because it calls for grilling the vegetables. That’s a way to keep the heat out of the kitchen as much as possible. And adds another layer of flavors to the dish.

Roasted Red Pepper Salad

If you’re going to use your peppers right away you can store them on the counter, but they start to shrivel pretty quickly. For longer storage, put them in your vegetable’s crisper drawer stored in a paper bag.

Anchovy optional here, but hope you’ll give it a try.

Grits, Cheese and Chile Casserole

Sometimes we forget that grits are a great vehicle for lots of flavors. Cheese is a natural – but how about adding chiles? If you have fresh peppers, use those. Or use those delicious canned chopped green chiles as the recipe calls for. It’s from Prevention.

Roasted Carrot and Bell Pepper Spread

This recipe is from chef Eddie Hernandez of Taqueria del Sol – a low-fat spread that he prepares “all the time at home” for a healthy, flavor-packed snack. Maybe you have some peppers tucked away in the freezer from this summer? Those will work fine.

Grilled Shrimp and Smoky Grilled Corn Grits

Shrimp and grits is the most requested dish I get for the AJC’s “From the menu of” column. This recipe was printed in Southern Living. I just happen to have a few ears of fresh corn in my vegetable bin – but maybe you have some you froze from the bounty this summer?

Pepper Jelly

Those gorgeous peppers make me think it’s time to make pepper jelly. If you think you won’t use it, see the next recipe for a yummy vinaigrette. If you don’t have enough peppers in this week’s box, maybe you still have a few from last week? Or save this week’s and cross your fingers we’ll have some in next week’s box.

This is a recipe from Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene.

Sweet Pepper Soup

Joe Truex of Watershed demonstrated this recipe Labor Day weekend at the Morningside Farmers market.

Gazpacho

Stir together bread, garlic, vinegar, and 3/4 cup cold water in a medium bowl. Set aside. Process cucumber, peppers, and bread mixture in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree half of the tomatoes in the blender, and transfer to the bowl with cucumber mixture. Puree remaining tomatoes, slowly adding oil while Read More…

Fish Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Does summer have you craving tacos? Or are you like us and crave them all year around? The recipe for this dish was inspired by one from Hugh Acheson, chef of Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia. Use whatever peppers are handy, even those nice mild ones from the box.

Do you happen to have some of those dried black beans from last year’s boxes? Cook them up and use them here. Yum.
It’s a very traditional recipe for salsa, and a little more work than just chopping up vegetables, but so worth it.

Hot Pepper Sauce

I had a conversation with Jennifer Halicki about what to do with those cute little jalapenos. My suggestion was to do a very simple pickle, just putting the jalapenos in a jar (with or without stems) and cover them with vinegar. Leave them for a week or forever, they’ll keep indefinitely as long as you keep topping up the vinegar. This was the old Southern standby for making hot pepper vinegar to season fall and winter greens like turnips, collards and mustard. And it works fine with jalapenos.

Then just the other day I opened an email from Import Food, a company on the west coast that imports primarily food from Thailand. They offered a little more complex version of this peppered vinegar idea. They were recommending the Thai chiles they sell, but it would be just as delicious with your jalapenos or leftover cayenne peppers.

In their words: “Spice up your food with this simple, homemade heat. The combination of sour vinegar with hot Thai chiles is a common condiment in Thailand (called “nam som”), but this goes along great with American food too–especially southern favorites like collard greens, fried chicken, green tomatoes, etc.”

Baked Chicken with Peppers

We’ll no doubt have peppers until frost, so here’s one more idea for what to do with them. Mix in a jalapeno or two if your household likes the heat. Did I mention that about 3 weeks ago I made cantaloupe-jalapeno preserves? I had seen a recipe for strawberry-jalapeno jam and I had this bowl of jalapenos just waiting for a use ….. turned out pretty well and I think we’ll be enjoying it on pork chops and tenderloin … chicken breasts …. grilled shrimp …. I can think of lots of uses.

Anyway, this chicken and pepper recipe came from Bertha’s Kitchen, a soul food restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s a reminder that a slow braise is a wonderful, fragrant thing.

Roasted Sweet Peppers

When I see a bouquet of peppers like those in this week’s box, I’m so excited. You can eat them fresh, sliced into salads or stuffed with rice and cheese or grilled alongside a few links of Riverview brats. But that’s not my plan for those peppers.
I’m going to roast them. It’s a matter of a few minutes to turn those peppers into an ingredient that will flavor our meals for many weeks to come.

Fall Squash and Pepper Soup

And fall boxes always include a variety of winter squash. Use your butternut or delicatas in this recipe adapted from a recipe by Steven Satterfield of Miller Union as demonstrated at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. You can use all the different peppers from this week’s box as well, but you’ll have to find your own hot pepper.

PIckled Peppers

And Shirley Yarbrough reminded me this week of two simple ways to preserve the peppers in your box. There’s nothing easier. These ideas work for the banana peppers and jalapenos. Not for the bell peppers.

Peppered Tuna with Crowder Peas

As pretty as those lady peas are earlier in the year, it’s crowder peas that really make me happy. Try this adaption of a recipe from ages ago in Southern Living. I think they served it on salad greens and topped it with bernaise sauce. You could serve do the same but instead of bernaise sauce, just whip up a little vinaigrette.

Ratatouille

This is James Beard’s recipe, adapted from his book, “Beard on Food.” You know – the James Beard of the James Beard Awards that our chefs are all so anxious to win every year?

This is a classic Provencal dish, perfect with grilled meat or fish or as a filling for an omelet or as dinner all by itself. The Beard folks note that in France it’s often presented as an appetizer with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Toss in one of those jalapenos if you like.

Sausage and Peppers

This idea from Seth Freedman of Forage & Flame, market chef for the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, is so simple it almost doesn’t need a recipe. But it’s a nice reminder of a classic combination.

Fried Okra with Spicy Red Pepper Sauce

Does everyone know how to roast peppers? A quick way for just a few peppers is to do them right on the burners of your stove (if your stove is gas, of course). Just crank up the burner and put the peppers right on the grate. Turn them (with tongs!) as they char and blister. When most of the pepper has blackened, drop it into a paper bag and close the top. The peppers will steam and when they’re cool enough to handle, you can easily remove the skins. And the bonus is that your house smells like roasting peppers – yum.

Don’t have any smoked paprika in the pantry? Well, get some. It’s an amazing seasoning. In the meantime, regular paprika will do, or just skip it for today. You can find it at most grocery stores.

Pelau-Stuffed Peppers

This idea for stuffing peppers would work well with delicata squash, larger eggplants or even your acorn squash. The filling incorporates a lot of ingredients from current boxes and past. Substitute with what you have on hand. And the filling also makes a tasty side dish all by itself. The recipe suggests cooking this on the grill but you can bake it in a 350 degree oven just as well.

How to Roast Peppers

Roasting peppers is easy, but it does require a flame. Or I guess you could do this under a broiler, but I’ve never tried. I do this on my stove, placing the peppers directly on the gas burners. I use as many burners as it takes to do as many peppers as I have. You...

Herbed Spaghetti Squash with Red Peppers and Walnuts

Cook squash, [See “notes about spaghetti squash for instructions on steaming, roasting, and microwaving.] Heat oil in a medium skillet and cook peppers, garlic and cayenne just until slightly softened. Add vinegar and set aside. When squash is cooked, comb out...

Pickled Peppers and Okra

It seems that many people in the Riverview CSA are into canning and pickling. I found this recipe idea from the Food Network’s “Big Daddy’s House” an intriguing way to use jalapenos and okra in one fell swoop. The original directions were a little confusing, so I’ve modified them here. The idea seemed worth sharing, especially if you’re a household that uses pickled jalapenos.The quantities of jalapenos and okra called for here may not match what you got in your box, but I think you could add in some of the green peppers as well to make a total of 1 1/2 pounds of vegetables (in addition to the carrots and onion).

Greens with Peppers and Ham

Our final pepper recipe also features greens. Now you have an amazing assortment of greens in this week’s box. My box had a few collard leaves, a bunch of mustard greens, all the tops from those hareuki turnips and the greens from the kohlrabi. I have to say that the kohlrabi bulbs are so small (believe me, they’ll get bigger as the season goes on) that I just cleaned them and sliced them up to eat raw with the hareuki turnips. Then the greens went into the sink with all the others. I’ll be making the gumbo z’herbes we featured last year. I can’t find the recipe in the archive, so I’ll make a note to include it next week.

Anyway, here’s a recipe from chef Eddie Hernandez of Taqueria del Sol, also demonstrated last year at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. It uses greens and peppers. Hernandez’ version was all collards, but this mixture of greens in the box would work just fine. You cook the greens separately, then add them as an ingredient. Just steam the greens unless you have some leftover from another meal. Love that this will use up some of your jalapenos and tomatoes as well.

Roasted Peppers Stuffed with Tuna

For our next pepper trick …. stuffed peppers. But not your grandmother’s stuffed peppers. I cannot remember where this came from – but I love the tuna filling. This is a great way to cook tuna even if you’re not going to use it to stuff peppers. Any leftover stuffing would make a fabulous tuna salad sandwich.

Pimiento Cheese and Spicy Pepper Jelly

Pepper recipes one and two come from Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and a demo he did last summer at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. The two colors of cheddar make for a pretty spread, but of course you can just use one kind of cheese if that’s what you have on hand. Hopkins opts for homemade mayonnaise in this recipe, but he says it’s ok for you to use store-bought, as long as the brand you buy contains no sugar. He roasts his pepper for the pimento cheese which adds a wonderful smoky quality.

Interestingly, when he makes his pepper jelly he cooks the peppers and then strains off the juice for the jelly. I’ve always made my pepper jelly by just cooking the chunks until very very tender. Love this idea even though it’s a bit more work. You could try the pepper jelly in some cornmeal pepper jelly cookies we featured last December. Search our archives for that, and for pepper roasting directions.

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Lots of ideas here for hearty fall and winter food. First – we’ve got two recipe suggestions from members this week. Very exciting!

Joy Carter sent us a recipe for Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. She doesn’t remember the website she found this on, although it might have been Pioneer Woman. Joy said she’s had lots of peppers in her garden this year so she’s been seeking new ways to use them. Our green peppers that came in today’s box will ultimately turn red, if you don’t already have roasted red peppers stashed away in your freezer.

Watermelon Gazpacho

I’ve been experimenting with cold soups this week, and I’m really enjoying these two options which use a number of items from this week’s box.

I‘ve been a huge fan of gazpacho since my first taste at the Peasant Uptown at Phipps Plaza (which means I’m really dating myself since they’ve been closed for years). Spicy, flavorful tomato gazpacho, topped with shrimp … and served with their cheese toast …. it opened my eyes to the pleasures of cold soup. Now most summers I keep a half gallon jar of gazpacho in the refrigerator as soon as the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers come in.

Recently I’ve been seeing recipes for watermelon gazpacho, and this week I finally tried it out. Delicious! Here’s one way to make it, but I’ve seen it demonstrated by chefs at local farmers’ markets using many variations including adding tomatoes, using more hot peppers, or varying herbs like using dill. I liked this recipe because it used what I have in my garden and box right now. You could leave out the crab, or substitute shrimp. The sweet seafood is a nice foil for the spicy fruitiness of the soup.

Summer Pepper Salad with Bulgur

This first recipe is an adaptation of one from Ian Winslade, formerly of many Atlanta restaurants including Bluepointe, Shout and Spice market. He just opened Buckhead Bottle Bar in June and he demonstrated this pepper salad at the Morningside Farmers Market last week.

Winslade suggests using different colored peppers, but the salad will, of course, be just as delicious with the exclusively red peppers that were in my box today. I haven’t cut into them yet, so I don’t know if they’re all sweet peppers, or if some hot ones are lurking in the bunch. Be sure to taste your peppers as you’re using them in any recipe to be sure the final result is what you expect!

Oh – and a note. There was some conversation several weeks ago about sherry vinegar. Almost every chef I’m working with these days is using it, and I was reminded that I bought mine at the DeKalb Farmers Market – I think it’s less than $2 for the bottle.

1947 Tabasco Sauce Recipe

This week I discovered that a work colleague is a subscriber at one of Riverview’s other CSA pick-up locations. We chatted about the cayenne peppers in last week’s box, and agreed we’d like to have something to do with them beyond chopping them up and storing in the freezer for when you need a tablespoon or two of hot chiles for a recipe.

He and I talked about experimenting with Tabasco-type sauces. I found a great website, www.mexican-barbecue-recipes.com/tabasco-hot-sauce-recipes.html, with a bunch of ideas, and I liked this particular one, maybe because I’ve been working on a story that features recipes from the 1920s and 1940s.

Depending on how many peppers were in your box (that you haven’t already used), you may have to scale things up or down. I guess you could use any kind of vinegar you like, but white vinegar is probably what is meant here. I’ll be working on my sauce this weekend. Let us know if you decide to experiment, too.

Pressed Eggplant and Pepper Sandwich

Speaking of eggplants and peppers … I have a few left over from last week so I’m making this eggplant/pepper sandwich. You grill the eggplants and peppers, assemble the sandwich and then let it sit, pressed, to compress all those delicious flavors.

Arugula and Pepper Frittata

Having just made 16 different varieties of chili in the past four days, I used up every single pepper that’s come in our boxes for the last 3 weeks (yes, they will keep that long – and though they started out green, they turned yellow and red and even orange as they sat on the counter). I loved it – and given the price of these ripe colorful peppers, I felt that my box had more than paid for itself in peppers alone.

But maybe you haven’t been making chili, chili, chili and you’d need some inspiration for those peppers. I’ve talked about frittatas and baked egg dishes before. They’re just so great for using up a little of this and that, and you can eat them hot, warm, room temperature or cold. I just made one for the AJC that goes by the title of “Spanish Tortilla” – a Cubanelle pepper, potatoes, onions and ham sautéed, a few eggs whisked together and poured over, and the whole thing baked in its skillet for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Easy.

Here’s another frittata idea that will use your arugula and as many peppers as you want to include. It’s adapted from the blog, The Jew and The Carrot. It uses a slightly different method from my Spanish Tortilla since it’s prepared entirely on the cooktop.

Pepper Salad with Bulgur

n a 1-quart measuring cup, heat 2 cups water to boiling. Add bulgur and a little salt. Stir and allow to sit covered until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. While bulgur is rehydrating, cut peppers into fine julienne. In a medium bowl, combine peppers, Thai chile...