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Wednesday, November 25, 2020

aleppo pepper beef and couscous bento

 


Spicy, rich fall flavors for today's late November bento. On a base of couscous combined with pistachios and chickpeas, here's a golden pepper filled with an Aleppo pepper-spiced sauté of organic ground beef, roasted butternut squash, garlic, red onions and red bell pepper. Fennel flowers and violas from the garden, microgreens and a wedge of feta cheese round out this filling lunch.

Beef with Squash and Aleppo Pepper
1 lb organic ground beef
1 chopped red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
one small/medium red onion, chopped
1 cup cubed roasted butternut squash
2 scallions, chopped
Ground Aleppo pepper to taste
Ras al Hanout spice blend, to taste
cilantro, to garnish
Greek yogurt, to garnish

Over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent, then add chopped red pepper and sauté until  soft, season with sea salt. Move vegetables to one side of pan and add beef and brown on one side, seasoning liberally with ground Aleppo pepper, add salt and turn over, browning other side and breaking up with a wooden spoon. 

Combine vegetables and beef and stir, add roasted squash pieces and scallions. Taste and correct seasonings to intensify spices to desired level. Serve with cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt. A side of couscous with chick peas and pistachio nuts is excellent with this dish!

Japanese camellia starting to bloom this week:




Intense colors of November:




 

Thursday, April 16, 2020

spring breakfast bento


Here's a happy spring breakfast bento with asparagus-accented soft scrambled eggs and a tartine layered with brie, artichoke spread, smoked salmon and garden chives and garlic blossoms. Not visible: a fresh green layer of arugula and other wild greens, gathered outside in this little woven basket:


Views of the spring garden here in Sonoma County:









Friday, August 9, 2019

spiced silk road beef in brioche bento


Exploring Silk Road meets France flavors in this bento: organic ground beef stir fried with eggplant, garlic, ginger, red onion, rogan josh and Five Spice spice blends, topped with Greek yogurt, delicate chervil and tucked inside a lightly toasted brioche bun. Light summery salad of mixed baby greens, radish, sweet golden tomatoes as a fresh contrasting side.

Speaking of summer, I recently found these beautiful antique Chinese dishes in sunny colors, pictured here with a juicy local peach: