Wow – that went by fast.
Today, in honor of this here food blog’s 10th anniversary (!), I am reposting my first recipe; cherry peppers stuffed with Provolone cheese and marinated for at least one week, or as long as ???
Not too, too fussy to toss together – cutting open and seeding the peppers is the worst part of the whole thing – but wicked tasty, and, bonus! the marinade makes a pretty terrific bread dunker, too.
INGREDIENTS
•2 jars cherry peppers
•1/2 lb provolone cheese, cubed
•Toothpicks
•1 quart extra virgin olive oil
•1 quart canola oil*
•1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
•1 small onion, thinly sliced
•Rosemary sprigs
•Bay leaf
•Chopped garlic
•Shaved Parmesan cheese
*NOTE: this is important! Do not try to use all olive oil as it will just turn into a solid block in the fridge.
Drain the cherry peppers, discard the liquid.
Carefully cut a slit in each pepper and use your finger to scoop out the seeds. Don’t worry if you don’t get them all.
Cut the Provolone into cubes – you’ll want them in various sizes, because the peppers will not all be the same size.
Fit a cube of cheese into each pepper, then close the pepper with a toothpick.
Layer the stuffed cherry peppers in a large jar or container with the onion, garlic, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, and shaved Parmesan cheese.
Whisk the olive oil, canola oil, and crushed red pepper together and pour over the peppers in the jar to cover.
Top the jar with a layer of shaved Parmesan, then cover the jar and stash in the fridge for at least one week.
Bring to room temperature before serving, then, grab some wine and some crusty bread and prepare to thoroughly enjoy yourself.