Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Muffins

Tried and Tasted, a food event hosted by the lovely Zlamushka, is one I try never to miss. Each month, a different food blog is featured and readers are invited to make any recipe they like from the archives. Zlamushka gathers up all of the submissions and showcases the culinary talents of the honoured site.

This month, the focus is on Jugalbandi. In addition to some stunning photography, Jai and Bee offer up mouthwatering and tempting recipes each week. How was I decide what to try first? I finally decided to make these Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Muffins after stumbling across the recipe while doing a google search. I can't quite recall what I was looking for originally, because I immediately gave up my search at the prompting of my rumbling tummy, and decided to make these muffins as I recalled I had goat cheese in the fridge and also that the deadline for the event was fast approaching.

I essentially followed the original recipe, though I did include a roasted cayenne pepper from my garden, some chopped black olives and sun-dried tomatoes because I never can resist adding my own little touch. The result was a deliciously moist, slightly spicy, savory muffin that deserves to be appreciated all by itself, though it is a good choice if you are looking for a side bread option to serve up with dinner.

I roasted my own peppers instead of using the jarred variety. If you wish to do the same, detailed instructions, complete with pictures, can be found here.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Muffins

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 cup of chopped green onions (both the white and green parts)
1 cup of milk
2 large eggs
2 cups of unbleached white flour (or 2 cups of wholewheat pastry flour)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/4 cup of black olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 - 1/3 cup of sun-dried tomatoes
1 large red pepper, roasted, skinned, seeded and finely chopped
1 cayenne pepper, roasted, skinned, seeded and finely chopped
7 ounces of goat cheese, cut into small pieces

Grease 12 muffins cups with butter or oil. Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid, and finely chop.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, stir for a few seconds, and then add the white parts of the chopped green onion. Stir and fry for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Pour 1/2 cup of the milk over the fried onion.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Blend in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Now stir in the chopped green onion parts, the fried onion with milk, along with the remaining 1/2 cup of milk.

Now add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, oregano, salt, black pepper and cayenne, stirring gently until just combined. Fold in the roasted peppers, goat cheese, olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

Spoon into the prepared muffin tins and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the muffins are nicely browned and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Yields 12 muffins.