Baby Peppers Stuffed with Goats CheesePrint Recipe

These are something I used to make when I had barbeques (and an outdoor area – boo hoo!). I must admit they look a little on the disheveled side but piled high on a platter they look really amazing – the reds, oranges and yellows of the peppers, scattered with herbs and drizzled with a good balsamic vinegar.

I certainly didn’t intend to make them today but I was at the farmers markets this morning and saw these darling little peppers (as sweet to taste as they are to look at), so my lemon and polenta cake was quickly put on hold. Such is the way with my blog, I have a very organised list of what I am cooking for the next two months and every week an item (or two, or even three) gets bumped because I get inspiration from something that crosses my path. And I am more than happy to change tact when it comes to spotting produce in its prime or an amazing sounding recipe – a little spontenaity is a great thing.

These will certainly be on the menu when I next barbeque for my friends (like I used too, like I used to have cocktail parties too), not only for their colours but for their simple fresh and wholesome flavours.

Ingredients
20 baby peppers (capsicums)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper
311 grams/11 ounces fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons marjoram, leaves only
2 tablespoons chives, slices into .5″ pieces
4 tablespoons good quality aged balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 232c/450f and brush a baking pan lightly with olive oil.

Cut a small slit lengthways down each pepper and remove a thin wedge (to allow you to insert stuffing). Wash and clean peppers inside and out, removing any seeds.

Break the fresh goat cheese up with a fork into tiny peices, place in a bowl with herbs and the salt and pepper to taste. Mix until combined.

Stuff each pepper with the goats cheese mixture. Place into the baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the peppers are soft and just starting to blister.

Remove from oven, place on a platter and lightly drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.

Serve warm.

Notes: You can cook these on your barbeque – they are likely to blister in the process but they taste and look even better. Also, if you are running short of time it is alot quicker to cut the peppers in half and stuff them, cooking time remains the same.

© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.