Italian Stuffed Pepperoncinis

Submitted by Mini Ravindran

"Serve these chilled appetizers at your next cocktail party. Absolutely gorgeous !"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 6
• Yields: 24 Pepperoncinis

ingredients

• 1 lb cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon basil, fresh,chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato, softened and minced
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons pepperoni, diced
• 24 pepperoncini peppers (mild, pickled peppers)

directions

1. Soak the tomatoes in warm water for 20 minutes before mincing.
2. Blend together the cream cheese, basil, garlic,tomatoes and pepperoni.
3. Cut the tops off the pepperoncinis and remove the seeds.
4. Fill with the mixture, cover and refrigerate 1 1/2 hours.
5. Serve chilled.

Reviews

[highcotton]

Since pepperoncinis seem to be something people either love or hate, I served these along with several other appetizers to offer a choice. Sure enough, a couple of guests didn't go near them. But the pepper lovers in the crowd thought this stuffed version was very different and very good. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to manage the "gorgeous" part. After trying everything I could think of to squirt/spoon/stuff the filling into the cavity, I finally had to give up and cut a slit down one side to spoon it in. Messy-looking, but tasty. There were 3 or 4 left over -- which I stuck in the fridge and promptly forgot. Two days later, I spotted them and took a bite. Omigosh! The flavor had improved enormously! I'll definitely try this recipe again, allowing a lot more 'lead time' between preparation and serving...and maybe investing in a pastry bag. :)