Stuffed Baby Peppers with Chilli and Garlic

I’m always on the hunt for GREAT dishes to eat with bread! Here’s a good one; cheese-filled peppers served up with your freshly baked baguettes…

It doesn’t take a lot to make a meal sometimes, especially when you have fresh bread. These peppers are easy, tasty, and sure look the part centre table with a couple of fresh baguettes, ciabattas, or epi.

Drizzled with plenty of garlic and chilli oil make these perfect for mopping up with fresh

Omit the chilli if you’d rather swerve the spice.

Hope you enjoy making and eating these.

Jack

:-)

Cheese Stuffed Baby Peppers with Chilli and Garlic


Notes

This recipe serves 2 hungry people for lunch, or make it more of a meal by pairing a few salads or a cured meat board.

To accompany this I’d choose crusty baguettes from my Easy Baguette Recipe, ciabatta or perhaps even a focaccia.


Ingredients

For the Stuffed Peppers

8 Baby Peppers (8-10cm long)

150g Feta Cheese

150g Cream Cheese

Olive oil

Salt

For the Oil

1 small clove of Garlic, thinly sliced

1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

4 tbsp Good Olive Oil

To finish

Greek Basil Leaves

3 tbsp Pumpkin seeds

Salt

Pepper


Method

  1. First preheat the oven to 200C Fan / 425 F / Gas Mark 7. Use the tip of a sharp knife to cut a slit along the length of each pepper, very nearly end to end. Line them up on a parchment lined tray and bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until soft enough to remove the seeds.

  2. Leave your peppers to cool slightly and use a teaspoon or knife inserted in the cut to scrape out all the seeds and discard.

  3. Crumble the feta into a mixing bowl and beat together with the cream cheese. Fill a piping back with the mixture and use it to fill each pepper well.

  4. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and return to the oven where the peppers will roast for a further 18-20 minutes.

  5. Spread your pumpkin seeds in an even layer across a small lined baking tray, spritz with a little water, sprinkle with salt and roast with your peppers for 6-8 minutes until popping and crispy. In the meantime, prepare your flavoured oil;

  6. In a small saucepan place 4 tbsp of olive oil, your sliced garlic and chopped chilli. Place it on the hob, turned off, ready to go.

  7. When your peppers are ready arrange them nicely on a plate, turn on the heat underneath the oil and bring it up to a gentle sizzle for a minute or so to infuse the flavours and cook away the “rawness”, spoon it all over your peppers.

  8. Finally sprinkle over your toasted seeds, some leaves of Greek basil and season with cracked black pepper.

  9. Smash your peppers into some freshly baked baguettes and enjoy.