Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis (from the Food Network) that is both colorful and delicious. Since the baby peppers are sweet, you can control the heat by choosing which of our extra virgin olive oils to use. Choose from a single varietal (for no heat) all the way up to our Baklouti EVOO which offers a lot of green pepper kick.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons Olive the Best EVOO according to heat preference:
- Any Single Varietal EVOO (for no heat), or
- Chipotle EVOO (for mild heat), or
- Harissa EVOO (for medium heat), or
- Cayenne EVOO (for high red pepper heat), or
- Baklouti EVOO (for high green pepper heat)
- 4 ounces pancetta, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
- ½ red onion, chopped finely
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- ½ cup frozen petite peas, thawed
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 24 sweet baby peppers, about 2-3 inches long
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with foil and spay with cooking spray (or brush with EVOO). Set aside.
- Chop the red onions finely and prepare the other ingredients.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta, stirring often, until just brown and almost crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked pancetta and drain on paper towels.
- Next, add the chopped onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. When done, set aside to cool.
- While the onions and pancetta cool, prepare the baby peppers. Trim about ½ inch from the stem side of the baby pepper. Using a small knife, remove the seeds and ribs from inside each pepper.
- For the filling, combine both cheeses, petite green peas, cooled onions and pancetta. Stir to thoroughly combine. Taste the filling and season well with salt and pepper, to your taste.
- Use a small knife or dessert spoon to fill each baby pepper with cheese mixture. Set filled peppers on foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven until the peppers begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. You may need to tuck in any cheese filling that might have oozed out. Enjoy!
By: Dena