WHAT TO COOK WHEN THE ELECTRIC BILL SOARS

This week the cost of electricity in Spain reached a historical high--€140 for a megawatt hour of electricity. Almost every day for the past two weeks has superseded the previous day. (Why the spike in the electric bill? See below**.) 

I’m using the air conditioner as little as possible--mercifully, the temperatures have been tolerable. Next, I set out to minimize my use of electricity in the kitchen. No oven and minimal cooking on the (electric) stove. These two recipes utilize the microwave and quick-cooking techniques. (A pressure cooker or Instant Pot is another energy-saving tool as is an outdoor wood or gas grill.) I run the dishwasher after midnight, when the electricity rates go down.

Chicken Poached in a Pot

Pollo a la Cazuela

Small chicken poaches in about 30 minutes. Serve it whole or cut up.

A small broiler—the one pictured weighs 2 pounds 2 ounces—cooks in 30 minutes on top of the stove and uses less power than the oven. Two small chickens would cook just as quickly and provide more servings. Serve the poached chicken hot, just as you would a roast chicken. Or cut it up for cold dishes another day. 

Serves 2-4.

 

1 whole small chicken (2 pounds)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 slices lemon

3 slices onions

1 tomato, cut in wedges

1 clove garlic, slivered

1 bay leaf

Sprig of thyme

Sprig of rosemary

½ teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

¼ cup white wine

Pimentón adds color.

Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Allow it to come to room temperature.

Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a pot just large enough to hold the chicken. Place the lemon and onions slices on the bottom of the pot. Set the chicken, breast side up, on top. Add the wedges of tomato, slivers of garlic, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary. In a small cup, stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil with the pimentón. Drizzle the oil over the chicken, saving a little to use with the cooked chicken. Pour the wine around the chicken.

Place the pot on moderately high heat until the liquid in the bottom begins to boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, so the liquid bubbles gently. Cook the chicken 15 minutes.

Uncover the chicken and carefully turn it, breast side down. Bring the liquid again to a full boil, place the lid on and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 15 minutes.

Test the chicken for doneness. If it has reached at least 145ºF in the thickest part of the thigh, bring the liquid again to a boil, cover the pot tightly and turn off the heat. Allow to stand 15 minutes. (If it does not register 145ºF, continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes longer.)

Remove the chicken from the pot. If serving the chicken immediately, brush it with the reserved oil with pimentón and serve accompanied by the juices from the pot. Otherwise, carve the chicken and store it, refrigerated, with the strained juices.

Serve chicken hot or cold. It's also good deboned for chicken salad.

Stuffed Peppers

Pimientos Rellenos

Bell pepper with meat stuffing, melted cheese on top, cooked in the microwave.

Split large peppers in half.

These stuffed peppers are cooked in the microwave. This turns out not to be as energy-efficient as I intended, as, due to size limitations, I had to cook them in two batches.

These peppers are enormous! For stuffing, they’re best split open lengthwise, one half per person. If you have instead those nice squat bell peppers, slice off their tops and allow a whole one per person. Optional: if you want to take the time, after the peppers have been microwaved the first time and allowed to stand, peel away the skins. 

For the stuffing, choose your preferred meat—beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey. I’ve used boneless ground chicken thighs. 

Rather than make a proper sofrito with fresh tomatoes, to save on cooking time, I used canned tomate frito, a simple prepared tomato sauce. 

Chop cooked eggplant.

Cooked eggplant takes the place of rice or bread crumbs in the stuffing mixture, adding bulk and preventing the meat from compacting too much. I “roasted” a medium eggplant in the microwave, scraped out the pulp and chopped it. 

2-4 bell peppers (1 ½ pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 slice bacon (½ ounce), diced

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon pimentón (paprika)

1 ½ pounds ground meat

1 cup cooked and chopped eggplant

1/3 cup white wine

¼ cup tomate frito (tomato sauce)

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup grated cheese

Sliced cheese 

Split the peppers open or slice off the tops and shake out the seeds. Place them in a microwave-safe dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave the peppers on “high” until the peppers are softened, 6-8 minutes. Allow them to stand inside the microwave 5 minutes. (If necessary, repeat with second batch.) 

Add grated cheese to cooked meat.

Heat the oil and diced bacon on moderately-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté them 2 minutes. Add the cumin, pimentón and ground meat. Fry the meat, breaking it up with a wooden paddle, until it begins to lose its pinkness. Add the cooked eggplant and wine. Cook, stirring, to cook off the alcohol, 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap.

Place the peppers in the microwave-safe dish. Spoon the meat filling into the shells. Place a slice of cheese on top of each one. Cover the peppers with plastic wrap.

Microwave on High until the cheese is melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve the peppers hot or room temperature. If desired, serve with additional tomate frito (tomato sauce) on top.

More quick-cooking recipes:

Sea Bass Papillote in the Microwave.

Turkey Breast Adobo in the Microwave.

Microwave Chocolate Cake.

Microwave Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes.

Tuna with Olive Sauce.

**Why the spike in my electric bill? First, in a rebounding economy, the cost of natural gas (which fuels many power plants) has risen sharply on the global market. Secondly, the cost of carbon dioxide emissions is soaring, driven by the EU’s ambitious climate policy. While the cost of natural gas will fluctuate, the Co2 cost will likely continue to rise. It is what power plants in the European Union pay to emit carbon dioxide. The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), established in 2005 to incentivize reduction in greenhouse gases, entered its fourth stage this year with a time-to-get-serious increase in the pace of annual cap reduction. The move is in line with EU legislation to reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2030 – as part of the EU's 2030 climate and energy framework and current contribution to the Paris Agreement.

In June, the Spanish government reduced IVA (value added tax) on electric bills from 21percent to 10percent to somewhat offset the rise. But it looks like the only way to lower electric bills is faster conversion to non Co2-creating energy sources.