Over breakfast one morning, one of us read a Los Angeles Times restaurant review for Marché Moderne in Costa Mesa, California. Our first thought was, “huh, a restaurant in the middle of the mall?” Since we had tickets to an upcoming ballet performance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and were looking for a pre-ballet dinner nearby, we decided to give it a try.
Let’s just say we’ve been back often enough to try most items on their menu, but not enough to break the bank… yet.
We have a habit of splitting our meals; a) because you get to try more stuff, b) the portions are friendlier, and c) it’s cheaper. OK, that’s a lie. We’ve never saved money by sharing meals. But, we do get more variety out of one sitting.
One of the first times we “shared” our meal was during this visit to Marché Moderne. On the menu: red pepper puree. Over time, we’ve played with the flavors. While there is little confidence that the puree below is even close to that first bowl, we’ve been told that it’s pretty awesome; so please enjoy.
[K]
How often do you split your plates? What are your reasons?
Roasted Red Pepper Puree.
Roasted Red Pepper Puree
Spring 2009
~
~ Serves ~
4
~ Ingredients ~
- 6 medium to large red bell peppers
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 med. yellow onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¾ cup celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 ½ quarts chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or ½ tsp. dry thyme)
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
~ Preparation ~
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
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Pre-broil oven at 500º F. Cover 1-2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and brush with olive oil (or spray with olive oil spray).
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Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and quarter them lengthwise. Bell peppers are loosely shaped like a box. You want to cut them lengthwise at the “corner” of the box, so that when you lay the flesh down on the cookie sheet, they lay flat. This also makes them easier to peel. Discard all the seeds. Lay the bell pepper slices flesh side up on the cookie sheet (as many as will fit without overlapping) and brush the flesh with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. Watch the peppers closely. The flesh will boil, and eventually char to a black color. The peppers are done when all of the flesh has turned black (and when you can smell them in the kitchen).
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While the peppers are broiling, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and carrots for 10 minutes (or until softened).
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Remove peppers from cookie sheet, and place in single layer (black side up) on a couple of dishes; freeze the dishes for about 15 minutes. (This makes the peeling process much easier.)
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Add in garlic and thyme; cook for additional minute or two, to soften garlic.
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Add chicken broth, tomato paste and bay leaf, let simmer/low boil.
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Return to the peppers in the freezer; take them out. Peel and discard the flesh. Once peeled, put the peppers into the stock pot.
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After 30 minutes of simmering broth, remove bay leaf.
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Puree soup with immersion blender and serve immediately. Garnish with dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped parsley and/or basil leaves, if desired.
Source: Rustic Garden Bistro
Nutrition content per serving: 154 calories, 17g carbs, 3g protein, 9g fat, 4g fiber
Cost per serving: $ 2.17
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