Foodie Friday -- Guest Post by Bandwidth

Welcome to Foodie Friday, where great cooks gather to share their recipes.

This week, my youngest son, Bandwidth, is your guest host, and he is sharing two recipes from the garden to the table, along with his photos.

In the Garden and Kitchen with Bandwidth:

We planted our vegetable garden in early April, and when the first peppers were ready to harvest, I wanted to make them the star of a dish. Also in the garden, I picked a handful of zucchini blossoms.

I decided to stuff the peppers and fry the blossoms.

The fresh, just-picked vegetables filled the kitchen with a sweet, aromatic scent. Store-bought peppers are bland in comparison.  And the zucchini blossoms had a unique, nutty fragrance. 

Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

2 medium Vidalia onions

3 cloves garlic

olive oil

1 -28 oz. can (or box) chopped/diced tomatoes 

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Tabasco (if desired)

Prepare the peppers:

Cut the peppers in half (length-wise). Using a spoon, carefully clean the inner pulp and seeds from each half. Next, brush extra virgin olive oil on the outside and inside of each half-pepper. Place peppers on a baking pan. Roast at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and pat dry with paper towel. Leave peppers on pan and set aside.

Prepare the filling:

Cook a pot of long-grain white rice according to directions. I used 2 cups cold water, 1 tablespoon butter, a pinch of salt, and  cup long-grain white rice. (Save the extra rice for another dish.)

While the peppers are roasting, chop 2 Vidalia onions and three garlic cloves.

Sautee in a large frying pan for 1 minute on high heat, then add ground beef/pork mixture. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, Tabasco, and Worcestershire. If the pan isn't large enough, or the ground meat isn't browning well, consider removing a portion to a second pan. Otherwise, if you over-crowd the pan, it will impact the texture of the finished product.  

When the meat has browned (15 to 20 minutes), add the chopped tomatoes. Blend. Reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally. 

In a 1:1 ratio, combine the cooked rice and meat/tomato mixture, then spoon the filling into the prepared pepper shells. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

I used a tempura batter to make the fried blossoms.

To make the batter, mix: 

2 cups all-purpose white flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup corn starch

1 tablespoon salt

3 cups soda/seltzer water

The battter is sufficient for 12 to 15 blossoms. 

*Tip*: Chill the batter for at least 20 minutes before using.

Preparation:

Heat a bottle of vegetable oil to 350 - 375 degrees F. (Use a thermometer.) 

Holding the stem of the blossom, dip into batter and place in the oil. Drop it going away from you for safety purposes. The batter will poof up. Cook for 2 minutes, flipping once with a wire spatula. Remove browned blossoms and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt.

Fried zucchini blossoms are incredibly light, yet savory. During the frying process, the

blossoms become compact, but the flavor intensifies. 

Thanks for stopping by Rattlebridge!

All best,

Bandwidth

Are you contributing a recipe to this week's Foodie Friday?
 If so, locate the blue Inlinkz icon in the lower, left-hand portion of this post. Click on the icon and follow the directions. After you complete the process, you will see a red "x" beside your name. This allows you to delete your link if you made an error; the red "x" is visible to you only.

You can read a complete guide to this linky party HERE.

If you'd like to share your food photos--or photos of other FF participants on Pinterest, join the Pinterest foodie board, Consuming Passions. Leave a message on the most recent "pin" if you'd like your name added to the list.

Every Friday, we are joined at this big, virtual table--thank you for stopping by today. I'm grateful to all of you who spend your days cooking. I'm grateful to old and new friends who contribute recipes every week. I'm grateful to friends who leave a comment. I'm grateful for the silent folks, because you are brought here by your love of all things culinary.

We are food people. And that's a marvelous thing.

Have a great weekend.

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