The Splendid Cook
Many of you are familiar with the iconic NPR radio show, The Splendid Table. (If you aren’t, you’re missing out and should visit www.splendidtable.org today!) The show is split into two parts, with the first half usually revolving around top notch professionals in the culinary world. And trust me you don’t have to be an expert to appreciate the seeds of knowledge shared during this part of the show. However, I wait patiently for the second portion of the show, called “Stump the Cook” when Lynn flexes her foodie muscles, haha.
The general gist of the second segment is when regular folks (like you and me) call in and give Lynn five random ingredients from their kitchens. No gimmicks, this is off the cuff and Lynn “freestyles” if you will, in delivering one-to-several ideas on how to make a dish with the ingredients that you would actually want to eat. Personally, Lynn Rossetto Kasper never fails to blow my mind with her cooking / ingredient / recipe knowledge. Seriously, she is what we call in my household as “NEXT LEVEL!”
Where am I going with all of this? Well, after any given food photoshoot we are often left with a random assortment of raw ingredients. What we can’t donate to the local food banks, we have to figure out what to do with it. So, I would like to play a little round of what I’m calling “Stump the Studio” to honor this creative challenge. I’ve had John select five ingredients at random from our studio kitchen… so wish me luck!
John’s Ingredient Selection
- Louisiana Style Cajun Seasoning
- Ground Mustard
- All Purpose Flour
- American Cheese Slices
- Large Jar of Deli Style Whole Pepperoncini
Emily’s 5 Minute Cajun Stuffed Pepperconcini
- Combine 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning and 1 teaspoon ground mustard in a bowl and set aside.
- Take pepperoncini and cut a small portion off the top to allow for stuffing.
- Cut cheese slices in half, roll them up and stuff into pepperoncini.
- Roll cheese stuffed peppers in dry mix. Coat generously.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and get the oil nice and hot.
- Drop stuffed peppers into pan allowing the crust and pepper to brown, as well as, the cheese to melt.
- Pull the peppers off the pan, allow to cool slightly and enjoy watching your co-workers eat your strange recipe – haha!
I have to say I was quite surprised that I came up with something edible from this random ingredient mash-up in about five minutes. There is more than enough room for improvement with this recipe, including my complete lack of food styling abilities, haha, but honestly this was a fun exercise none the less! This was giggle inducing for sure, and I encourage everyone to take a moment, grab some ingredients and allow for creativity to take the wheel and have a splendid day! 🙂
– Emily, Questionable Recipe Developer
