These need to rest for a week, so if you’re wanting some cherry pepper goodness for Christmas, you’ll need to make ’em this weekend or early next week.
It’s a good thing they are so easy to make; and as a bonus, after you’ve finished off the cherry peppers, the oil makes a pretty incredible bread dipper and salad oil.
The hardest part of this appetizer might just be finding the whole pickled cherry peppers, but if you have a good Italian deli, they
should be able to set you up.
Of course, there is also always Amazon.
INGREDIENTS
•2 jars cherry peppers
•1/2 lb Provolone cheese, cubed
•1 quart extra virgin olive oil
•1 quart canola oil – NOTE: this is important – don’t try to use all olive oil as it will just turn into a solid block in the fridge
•1 small onion, thinly sliced
•Chopped garlic
•Rosemary
•Bay leaf
•Shaved Parmesan cheese
•1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Note: if you’d like, wrap the cheese prosciutto or pepperoni before stuffing the peppers.
Drain the peppers, discarding the liquid.
Add half of the onion and garlic to a large jar and set aside.
Slice open the cherry peppers and discard the seeds (don’t worry if you don’t get all of the seeds).
Stuff each pepper with cheese trimmed to fit the individual pepper, then close the pepper and close with a toothpick inserted through the center.
Note: if you were wanting to add meat(s), wrap each piece of cheese with a thin slice before stuffing the pepper.
Add the stuffed peppers to the onion and garlic in the jar, then add the rosemary and bay leaves.
Add rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, the remaining onion and garlic, then sprinkle with the crushed red pepper.
Blend the oils together, then pour over the peppers to cover.
Note: the reason for blending canola oil into the olive oil, is that if you use all olive oil, it will turn solid in the fridge, making (I think) it more difficult for the marinade to work.
Arrange the top with the shaved Parmesan to cover, pressing the Parmesan down a bit to cover with the oil.
Cover and stash in the fridge for at least one week.
Remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature before serving with crusty bread and any other sides you are feeling you need.
Though, truly, a small bowl of these babies and sliced crusty bread is pretty much all you will need.