Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers With Goat Cheese Food

GRILLED MINI SWEET PEPPERS WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium to medium-high heat. Make sure grates are scrubbed clean and then oiled. (To oil the grates, add some canola oil to a small bowl. Then fold a heavy paper towel a few times to make a smaller square. With a tongs, grasp the folded paper towel and dip it into the oil until the paper towel is drenched. Then run the paper towel over the grates, repeating until all grill grates are thoroughly oiled.)Cut stems off peppers, then slice peppers in half lengthwise and remove inner ribs and seeds. Place halved peppers on large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, folding to coat evenly. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold and repeat.Place peppers cut-side down on hot grill grates. Once the peppers are charred to your liking, flip to grill the other side of the peppers. Each side should only take a minute or two. When peppers are done, remove them to the rimmed baking pan, cut-side up - or to a platter for a nicer serving presentation. Using a small knife or spoon, remove a bit of goat cheese from the log and add it to the center of a grilled pepper half. Repeat until all goat cheese is used. Sprinkle peppers with fresh rosemary and thyme, plus a nice amount of Maldon smoked sea salt flakes. Some of the salt flakes can be rather large, so lightly crunch them between your finger tips as you sprinkle, if desired. I've found that our family likes to get plenty of pops of smoked salt in their bites, so I tend to sprinkle fairly generously. Serve warm.

GOAT CHEESE STUFFED BABY PEPPERS

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler to high.
• On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the peppers with the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and arrange them cut-side down. Broil until beginning to brown and soften slightly, about 4 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, mascarpone, orange zest, lemon zest and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well with a rubber spatula. Place the cheese mixture in a piping bag with a decorative tip. Fill each pepper evenly with the cheese mixture, being careful not to overfill. Sprinkle with the chives. Store in the refrigerator if not serving immediately.

MINI BELL PEPPERS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Place peppers on the baking sheet and roast 8 to10 minutes (small peppers - less than 2 inches long - will cook faster), turning them over halfway through. The peppers should be soft but not charred, except perhaps in a few spots. Remove from heat and allow to cool. If there are some larger peppers in the bag and they haven't softened in 10 minutes, return to oven for another 5.
• While peppers are cooling, make filling. Combine goat cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until mix is very smooth, at least one minute. Scrape down sides of bowl and process for another minute. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch star tip.
• When peppers have cooled, slice off ends just below the shoulders. Carefully remove any seeds and membranes. The peppers should be intact, but sometimes, they split down one side. Place any that have not split upright in a small glass or cup to facilitate filling, and pipe in goat cheese mix. Lay those that have split on a plate, pipe on the filling and close the pepper around the filling. Arrange stuffed peppers on a plate or platter. Serve at once, or chill until 30 minutes before serving. Bring to room temperature so cheese is soft and creamy.

ROASTED PEPPER AND GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skins are completely wrinkled and the peppers are charred, turning them twice during roasting. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Set aside for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Remove the stem from each pepper and cut them in quarters. Remove the peels and seeds and place the peppers in a bowl along with any juices that have collected. Discard the stems, peels, and seeds. Pour the oil and vinegar mixture over the peppers. Stir in the capers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.
• To assemble the sandwiches, spread the bottom half of the loaf with the goat cheese. Add a layer of peppers and then a layer of basil leaves. Separate the onions into rings and spread out on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with the top half of the ciabatta and cut into individual servings.

ROASTED MINI SWEET PEPPERS WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Add the peppers to a bowl and toss lightly with oil, salt, and pepper.
• Spread the peppers on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes until slightly softened and caramelized. Let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, add the goat cheese and cream cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth and spreadable, scraping the bowl down as necessary.
• Gently blend in herbs, lemon zest. Season to taste with salt. Transfer the cheese mixture to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
• When peppers are room temperature, pipe the cheese mixture into each pepper half. (Note 1) Arrange on a serving platter and garnish with chopped herbs.
• Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.

MINI SWEET PEPPERS STUFFED WITH HERB GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Leaving the peppers stem intact, cut a slit from the stem to the bottom tip of each pepper and remove seeds.
• In a bowl combine the goat cheese, snipped herbs, garlic, salt and black pepper.
• Spoon the mixture into the peppers.
• On a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray arrange the peppers in a single layer.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until peppers are tender crisp.
• Arrange the prepared peppers into a pyramid shape on a small platter and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
• Enjoy!