This is a fun ‘n tasty recipe to be served as a starter course for a backyard barbecue party, with appropriate social distancing.
Note: Banana peppers are a medium sized chili pepper with a mild tangy taste. Though sometimes they pack a punch they are great for stuffing. They are mostly yellow in colour, but banana peppers can also be red, orange, or green.
Note: Wear food safe gloves when cleaning the seeds and veins from hot chili peppers. This is to prevent spice accidents. For example: touching/rubbing your eyes and private parts?
Makes 8
Ingredients:
8 yellow banana peppers
1 lb (454 g) ground Ontario veal
½ lb (225 g) ground Ontario pork
1 cup (250 mL) coarsely chopped white cheddar cheese curds, or white cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp (30 mL) corn starch
1 ½ tsp (7.5 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
Big pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup (60 mL) + drizzle olive oil
8 slices prosciutto
Method
Put your food safe gloves on. Wash the banana peppers. Do not trim the stem from the peppers. Using a sharp paring knife cut the top one quarter of the chili pepper. It should look like a canoe. Using a small spoon or your gloved fingers remove the chili seeds and veins from the inside of the pepper. You may need to carefully cut the seeds and veins from the stem end. Rinse peppers under cold running water to remove any remaining seeds. Pat dry with paper toweling and set aside.
In a large bowl combine the ground veal and pork. Add the cheese curds, onion, garlic, parsley, corn starch, salt, peppers and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions.
Pack each pepper tightly with the ground veal mixture, making sure to go higher than the pepper edge. Mound it up and pack firmly with your fingers.
Brush each veal stuffed banana pepper lightly all over with olive oil, Set aside
Take a slice of prosciutto and fold it in half lengthways. Fold it in half again so that you have long ribbon-like piece of prosciutto. Gently fold or squish the ribbon of prosciutto to shorten its length and push onto the top of the ground veal mixture in the stuffed hot peppers. Repeat with remaining hot prosciutto and hot peppers.
Fire up your grill to medium about 350-425°F (180-220°C).
Place peppers on the grill, pepper side down and close grill lid and grill for 20-30 minutes, checking occasionally and moving your peppers about on the grill to keep from burning
When the veal mixture is fully cooked the juices should run clear, the cheese should be melted and the internal temperature should be 160°F (70°C).
Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
Source: Ted Reader BBQ