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 Almost every day for the past two weeks has superseded the previous day.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. 

ON A PEPPER ROLL

Bell peppers for stuffing.

Peppers are coming fast and furious. Last week I was frying the thin green ones (read about frying peppers here). This week I’m stuffing big fat red bell peppers that are rampant in the garden.

Bell peppers ripen in the garden.

I used to love my Missouri grandmother’s stuffed peppers. She used ground beef and rice and braised the peppers very slowly in the oven. But in southern Spain, I’m still not ready to turn on the oven. So I prepare the peppers Spanish style, cooked on top of the stove.

But I make some adjustments here too. Spanish cooks almost always roast the peppers first, peel them, then stuff them. But without their skins, the peppers don’t sit up smart in the pan. So I skip that step.

End-of-season tomatoes are perfect for making a chunky sauce to cook with the peppers, but canned tomatoes can be substituted. I like ground pork for the stuffing, but you could use ground beef or chicken thighs instead.

Another sort of stuffed pepper is the piquillo. You will find more about piquillo peppers and a recipe here.

Stuffed Peppers with Chunky Tomato Sauce
Pimientos Rellenos con Salsa de Tomate

Serves 4.

4 large bell peppers, green and/or red (1 pound 10 ounces)
2 ½ pounds tomatoes (about 6)
2 thick slices of bread
Milk or water to soak the bread
1 egg, beaten
1 onion, ¼ cup minced and 1 cup chopped
3 cloves garlic, 1 clove minced and 2 cloves chopped
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 pound ground pork
¼ cup chopped serrano ham or pancetta
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Remove stems and seeds from peppers.  Bring a large pan of water to a boil and blanch tomatoes until the skins split, about 1 minute. Drain and let them cool, then peel the tomatoes. Cut them into wedges or small chunks.

Soak the bread until softened in milk or water. Squeeze out the liquid and discard. Crumble the bread into a mixing bowl.

Remove 1 tablespoon of beaten egg and reserve it in a saucer. Add the remaining egg to the bread. Add the minced onion and minced garlic. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and parsley. Add the ground meat and chopped ham. Combine the mixture well. Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture.

Dip the open ends of the peppers in the reserved beaten egg, then into the flour.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet. Fry the peppers, floured-side down. Add the chopped onion and garlic and turn the peppers to let them fry slowly on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet, and simmer 45 minutes, turning the peppers occasionally. Remove the lid and cook another 20 minutes, until pepper skins are shriveled and tomato sauce is reduced.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over them.

Peppers stuffed with pork with chunky tomato sauce.