Stuffed Long Hot Peppers in Grape Tomato Sauce
Stuffed long hot peppers can be made without the grape tomato sauce. Just cut the cooking time to 30 minutes. A Jersey tomato salad is the perfect accompaniment to this dish, along with a loaf of your favorite crusty Italian bread. The stuffed long hots (without the tomato sauce) in the photo are served with a dollop of Ricotta cheese which cuts the heat nicely.
Ingredients
- For the long hot peppers:
- 6 Large Jersey Fresh Long Hot Peppers
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, deli style, sliced ½ thick by your deli, then cut down into ½ wide strips. The dryer slicing mozzarella works better in this dish than fresh mozzarella. You can also sub a mild provolone cheese which is equally superb.
- ¼ pound prosciutto thin sliced and minced or buy the cubed version.
- Dried Oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Grated Italian cheese, Parm/Romano or other of your choice.
- For the grape tomato sauce:
- 1-pint Summer Wind Farms organic grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
- (You can substitute Sungold's, grape, round or plum tomatoes or even in a pinch, canned tomatoes.)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced fine.
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil.
- Salt and pepper
Overview
- Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking Time: 40 Minutes
- Serves: 6
- Difficulty Level: 2
- Source: Summer Wind Farms
Sauté the garlic in the olive oil for 90 seconds and then add the grape tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and cook for 10-15 minutes.
While the tomatoes are cooking, wash the long hots, cut off the stem end and slice one wall of the pepper lengthwise to within 1 inch of the tip of the pepper, leaving the other side of pepper uncut so you can stuff it. Remove the seeds and the membranes. If your hands are sensitive to hot peppers, wear gloves!
Place the strips of mozzarella cheese lengthwise into the pepper using more strips as you move toward the wider stem end of the pepper. Cut the cheese to fit and pack the peppers full.
When the tomatoes are done add the basil and stir. Pour them into a glass baking dish and spread the tomatoes out across the bottom. Place the peppers in the dish on top of the tomato sauce. Place the diced prosciutto on top of the cheese on each pepper. Sprinkle the peppers with the grated cheese, oregano and drizzle on some extra virgin olive directly onto the stuffed peppers.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 30-40 minutes till the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Serving Information
Italian bread is great for dipping in the sauce.
Long Hot Peppers "hotness" can vary considerably from one pepper to the next. You've been warned.