Green Pepper Power

One of the tastiest harvests of mid to late summer is the green bell pepper.These emerald beauties can mix well with anything from salads to stew.They're great stuffed and even better just cooked on the grill.Bell peppers are the perfect veggie for any holiday cook out or dinner. John Willoughby thought this and wrote about them in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.He defended this veggie often ignored by snobbish professional chefs.The younger version of red,yellow and orange peppers are not as tasty,often having a bitter taste.This however can work in their favor.The taste is fresher and cooler than the older ones who can be a bit too sweet.Green peppers are a mainstay in both Creole and Cajun cuisine.Spanish cooking, especially Basque are rife with them.The Brazilians also use them,having bell peppers be one of the contributing flavors in moqueca in fish stew.As for stuffed peppers, the greens are always better.The flavor blends with the stuffing, whatever that may be, as opposed to overpowering them like their older versions. Mr. Willoughby,a regular, Dining contributor looks to Basque cuisine for his green bell pepper recipe.Alex Raij, owner and chef of the Manhattan Basque restaurant,Txikito .It is salted cod or bacalao.She also employs the liquid from it, This happens when the pepper is roasted or grilled and the juices settle inside.It, too, has a clean, fresh taste.This is used with olive oil poached cod.The fish rests on a puree of the veggie's flesh dashed up with some pureed poblano ,a spicier version of the bell.the finished dish is then drizzled with more pepper liquer.If you're not into cod then try another Basque recipe that both Mr. Willoughby and Chef Raiz recommend, piperade.This is simple ,ratatouille like stew that is made from peppers, onions and tomatoes.Add ham to it and it's a main dish,without it it 's a nice side.Piperade can also be used as a condiment on grilled chicken and fish. Don't be snobbish and overlook the green bell pepper.It is a refreshing alternative to the older variations of itself.Enjoy it' clean ,green taste, whether raw or cooked.It's a cool burst of the garden in your mouth.