A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

I went out last month and a friend made these for a party she was throwing. Super delicious, so simple to make. She mentioned that it was one of “Giada’s” recipes. So I immediately went home to try out a batch of my own. I couldn’t find baby peppers, so mine were a little bit bigger than what the recipe called for. The smaller peppers are better because otherwise, it’s just too much filling-you want these to be bite sized! Also, I love pancetta, so I made my peppers with slightly larger, diced pieces instead of “thinly sliced pieces”-note that if you are going to do it the way I did, hold off on the additional salt.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 24 (2 to 3-inch long) sweet baby peppers

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and drain on paper towels. Add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the onion, pancetta, cheeses, and peas. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a paring knife, cut 1/2-inch from the stem-end of the peppers. Remove the seeds and veins. Using a small dessert spoon, fill each pepper with the ricotta mixture. Place the filled peppers on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the peppers begin to soften. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Arrange the peppers on a platter and serve.

Tags: recipes