stuffed baby peppers

If I’ve stuffed mushrooms, tomatoes, phyllo, potatoes and eggplant surely I must stuff peppers. At least this was my thought process as we passed the cutest little white and purple peppers in the market. These tiny things were not meant to be chopped up and added to your morning omelette or into your vegetable stir fry, these were meant to be shown off; taken to a party where you could say, look at my little peppers, aren’t they cute? After all, everything is 500 times more adorable when miniaturized.

Plus it was the only thing my husband demanded as I debated on peppers or pasta salad. Do I really want something hot when it is a million muggy degrees, or do I want chilled pasta salad with bursts of cherry tomatoes and a light oil/vinegar dressing? My vote: pasta. Husband’s vote: peppers. And had he not huffed and puffed a bit at the fact that I even contemplated doing other than he suggested I would have gone with the pasta salad.

But look at me, trying to inadvertently pat myself on the back for deciding to not cause a huge scene in the middle of the produce section be selfish when it was my intention to give the man what he wanted all along. You see, that long, icky, heatwave hot southern weekend we had was spent with me wrapping up 28 Gourmet cookbooks my grandmother no longer wanted — JACKPOT! And ever since we’ve been home, I’ve opened each one and read aloud, as if I were reading some fairytale book to a wee tot, the mouth-watering recipes between its pages, forcing my husband  to listen as I placed no less than 3 different tea towels in front of him to wipe his drooling slack jaw.

So when I suddenly pulled a stop on the very thing he had his heart set upon — I became a monster. And, I am certainly not a monster. Well, not a monster that refuses what I’ve promised (all the time). Fortunately for him, the peppers were a hit, a “top ten” recipe as he says. Unfortunately for me, my peppers, the ones I bought because they were impossibly charming with their little white and purple exteriors, got a bit shriveled and lost their beautiful color…now I need pasta salad.

One Year Ago: Sweet Cherry Pie

Stuffed Baby Peppers
Adapted from Gourmet, 2003

Makes 6 baby peppers, enough for me, and possibly you, if you’re nice

Filling:
1/4 onion, finely diced
1 anchovy fillet, or 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 cup finely grated fontina
2 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed, patted dry and chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 pieces thick bacon, cooked and crumbled
Kosher salt and red pepper flakes

Peppers:
6 mini bell peppers
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a cast iron skillet over medium heat cook onion and anchovy/anchovy paste stirring frequently, until onion is soft and golden, about 5 minutes. (The anchovy will dissolve.) Transfer to a bowl and stir in bread crumbs, cheeses, capers, parsely, garlic powder, Dijon and bacon until well combined. Taste filling and season accordingly with salt and red pepper flakes. Add egg and stir until well combined.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Cut tops from peppers, keeping the stems on tops, and reserve. Bevel the bottom of each pepper so it can stand upright. Scoop out and discard seeds, then divide filling among peppers. Cover each pepper with the reserved tops and arrange upright on an oiled baking sheet. Add water to the bottom of the pan and drizzle peppers with oil.

Bake uncovered, in middle of oven until peppers are tender and filling is puffed, 50 to 60 minutes.

Do Ahead: Peppers can be stuffed 1 day in advance and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.