Pickled stuffed cherry peppers:good recipes?

[moh]

Every now and then I find stuffed pickled cherry peppers, and they are so good! I've had them stuffed with high quality feta, and prosciutto and cheese. But sightings are few and far between. I've seen some lovely cherry peppers at the market, and I was wondering if anyone has a good recipe for pickling and stuffing these little beauties? Any help would be much appreciated!

[FoodFuser]

I agree with Candy the Peppadew are indeed incredible. There's a huge buzz on the gardening forums as to how to get hold of the proprietary seeds. They offer great convenience as a fully processed product where the peduncle and seeds are removed and the remaining body is easily stuffable. Very sweet because sugar is part of the processing.

This is not to say that you can't have some great fun and great outcome by pickling your own cherry peppers.

As to stuffing, here's several fun ones I've tried, all of them piped in:

Cold:

Tuna salad. Anything goes.

Tofu, whipped, with su fu and miso as the flavor base.

Hot: (stuff with hot ingredients, then bake hot until done):

Pork, sauerkraut, onions (all ground/chopped together)

Pork, pulverized cooked rice, tomato paste

Risotto and parmesan

[moh]

Candy and FoodFuser, thanks so much for the tips about peppadews, and the stuffing ideas. I never even thought about the idea of piping in ingredients! The goat's cheese sounds delightful, and the hot pork stuffings are also wonderful sounding. A whole world of stuffed peppers is opening up before my eyes...

[FoodFuser]

Just use a standard hot water caning techniques, as outlined here:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/FOO...

[moh]

Thanks FoodFuser, that site is helpful. I think I am intimidated by the whole pickling thing, risk of botulism, etc. It is helpful to see the correct vinegar/water ratios.

So off to market to try the cherry peppers again. This time pickled properly. Last year I tried refridgerated pickles.

Sounds like I can stuff them with anything. I shall have to experiment! Any crazy but yummy ideas out there?

[Candy]

I like to stuff Peppadew Peppers (from S. Africa and sweet and spicy at the same time) with whipped herbed goat's cheese. I bring the cheese to room temp and whip it with my hand mixer until fluffy. Then, using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, fill each pepper. The large star tip could be pretty too.

[Scrapironchef]

This is one of those dishes whose name and recipe are one and the same. Are you looking for other stuffing suggestions?

[moh]

I'm not sure what you mean by "This is one of those dishes whose name and recipe are one and the same."

To clarify, I am a novice at pickling, and not that familiar with cherry peppers (except eating them). So I guess I am looking for a basic pickling recipe for cherry peppers, and advice on when in the process to stuff them and with what. I tried a recipe last year for cherry peppers that involved coriander, and I wasn't a big fan.

[janniecooks]

Once you've found your basic pickled pepper recipe, you make stuffed peppers when you want to eat them. The stuffed peppers are not to be canned for long-term storage, they are made from the canned pickled peppers when you want to serve them.

[moh]

Thank you Janniecooks, that does clarify things. I assumed they were stuffed from the beginning. I do have a question about the stuffed ones. When I have bought some of these stuffed peppers, some have had oil, but at least one batch did not. After stuffing them, do some people store them in oil to extend the life of the stuffed pepper? What kind of oil do they use? And how long do stuffed peppers last, oil or no oil?

[janniecooks]

Moh, I don't know the answers to your questions. I've only prepared stuffed peppers in small enough quantities that they were all eaten that day. I've seen them for sale in grocery deli cases, maybe you could ask the deli manager.

As for stuffing, my favorite is cubes of provolone wrapped in prosciutto. I'll pass by any other!

[Scrapironchef]

What I meant was that the name - Stuffed pickled peppers - pretty accurately describes the process of stuffing pickled peppers. you don't pickle them once they're stuffed, you stuff them after they're pickled.