Thursday, September 14, 2006

Food Network: Joe's Screaming Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers


It's that time of year again. Time for the obsessive watching of your favorite college teams pummeling each other on the gridiron. And what would a college football game be without some serious tailgate food? I've never actually been to a real live tailgate party in the parking lot, but we had a contest at work to see which team could make the best replica. I must say that my team won the contest, and I think it was partly due to the amazing stuffed jalapeños that I presented. I've also never eaten stuffed jalapeños before, but I was assured these are scrumptious. I thought they had just the right level of spice, and I must admit the bacon really made them melt in my mouth. If you want a much spicier pepper, you can leave the seeds and membranes intact. Enjoy!

Joe's Screaming Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers
From Food Network

20 whole jalapeños
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Sea salt
1 pound thinly sliced bacon

Cut a slit down each jalapeño pepper and gently remove seeds and membrane without breaking pepper open. Set peppers aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Fold in garlic, tomatoes, basil, and salt to taste. Using a small spoon or pastry bag, stuff each pepper with cheese mixture until full, but not overflowing. Cut bacon slices in half and wrap half a piece around each pepper, placing seam under the pepper. If you really like bacon, you could use a whole slice for each pepper, but you would need more bacon than indicated above. Place wrapped peppers on a foil lined baking sheet. Set oven to broil, and place peppers under the heat for about seven minutes or until bacon is cooked and peppers gently blister. Serve with lots of water!

No comments: