Stuffed Jalapenos

A few years ago, I went to a networking event in Washington, DC. It was held in Madam’s Organ, by Adams Morgan. I remember little about the occasion (like who was the organizer, who I met, or what season it was for that matter), but I do remember one thing clearly: what I ate. Hors d’oeuvres were served, and on this one particular tray, there were these breaded items. They did not look exactly like breaded chicken and appeared too thick to be mozzarella sticks, but I knew they were fried and looked good. I placed two on a napkin and took a bite out of one. The coating was crispy and the inside was gooey. Wow, I thought to myself- what is this? It tasted great!  I looked at the half-bitten appetizer and saw some green. What could this be?  A menu was by a table and I scanned through the appetizer section. They were Jalapeno Poppers! I couldn’t believe that I just ate a jalapeno! How does it taste this good? Why isn’t my mouth burning? I thought about those questions for a few seconds, then I placed a couple more on my napkin and ate, as I continued to ponder.

Fast forward to the present day. While we were doing grocery shopping last week, we came across a gigantic bag of jalapeno peppers for only $1. There must have been 40 or more peppers in the bag. I looked at the price again to verify. This is a great deal! We should buy this. I then began to think of what I would make with the peppers: marinara sauce with a bunch of jalapeno peppers? or omelette with jalapeno? puree the peppers?

Then the thought crossed my mind- how about stuffed jalapeno peppers? I’ve seen jalapeno poppers on menus at various restaurants, but never ate it since that time in DC. I remembered how much I enjoyed the appetizers and decided that this would be a great opportunity to make them myself. I quickly looked up a bunch of recipes online to get an idea of the other ingredients I needed. All of the common ingredients that I found were already in my kitchen. So I came home and set out on a mission to make stuffed jalapeno peppers. The process took a bit longer than expected (pitting the peppers and double coating them was tedious, so be sure to set aside at least 2 hours to prepare them), but it was worth the effort. I used a Mexican cheese mix, but regular cheddar cheese would work as well. I fried one batch (about 12) and refrigerated the rest, which I fried the next day. The leftovers were then refrigerated and reheated in a 350 degree oven. These are great appetizers.

Ingredients:

• 44 jalapeno peppers, rinsed
• 1 package Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese mix
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• Oil, for deep fyring

Directions:

1. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove the insides (if you want some hotness to your peppers, leave some of the seeds).
2. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and shredded cheese together. Add garlic salt and mix thoroughly.
   

   cheese stuffing

3. Using a teaspoon, spoon cheese mixture into the pitted peppers, making sure that the filling does not overflow.
4. Place milk, flour, and bread crumbs in three separate bowls.
5. For the coating, first dip each stuffed pepper in milk and then flour. Make sure all sides are fulled coated with the flour.
   

   first coating- flour

6. Once all peppers are coated with flour, dip them in milk again, and then in the bread crumbs. Allow the peppers to sit in a cool place for about 15 minutes, and then re-coat them in milk and bread crumbs.
7. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. When oil is hot, place the breaded peppers in the oil.
8. Fry each piece for about 3 minutes, until peppers are golden brown and cheese is slightly oozing.
9. Enjoy hot!
   

   Stuffed Jalapenos