Hot Stuff!
I admit it. I am an addict. I don’t even remember when it started but I am way in over my head and not sure how to get out. It started with simple banana peppers, then jalapenos. Then, I jumped to Thai and now, please forgive me Mother, I have graduated to Habaneras. Had I known that those harmless looking Poblano were nothing more than gateway peppers, I would have avoided them like the plague. But here I sit with nothing more on my mind than a capsicum fix.
Chili heads are everywhere. They are in the cubicles in the office, the blue collar worker at the factory, your doctor, police officers, and even preachers. They are young and old. I have a 9-year-old nephew that can turn up a bottle of Tabasco and drink it like a Nehi Grape. They start so young these days. Sad really.
My wife never cared much for hot peppers but after 27 years of politely pushing peppers, she has developed quite the addiction. In fact, we planted a row of jalapeño peppers in our garden this year and had more peppers than we could possibly pickle.
We have canned whole peppers, pepper relish, peppers and tomatoes (from Slocomb, Alabama, of course) and salsa. We have given them away and eaten them at almost every meal since June and still have peppers piling in from the plants. We have dried them, fried them, and tried them any way imaginable.
This past week when temperatures plummeted past 32 degrees, the plants wilted and died. So, I picked the remaining peppers from the plants and filled a peck. You know what you can do with a peck of peppers? Pickle them, of course! All of my friends are politely partaking in the pickled peppers that I picked but I know they are only partially proud of my product. I have “burned them out”, so to speak.
Forgive my rambling enumeration. It’s the capsicum I’m taking that’s talking.
To find other creative ways to disposing of the peppers, I worked up a recipe for stuffing them. Remember, I am a southern boy and will eat anything fried.
Larche’s stuffed jalapeños
12 large fully ripe (dark green) jalapeño
Half cup of Italian bread crumbs
Half package of cream cheese
1/4 cup of bacon bits
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper
- Egg roll wrappers
- Mix everything but the pepper into a paste and season to taste. Cut the top off of the jalapeños to remove the seeds. If you remove the membrane, you remove all the heat. Do not (unless you are weak and cowardly) remove the membrane! I use a tool designed specifically for peppers. I found it at the corning ware shop.
- Place a teaspoon full of the filling into the cup of the pepper and press it in tightly.
- Cut the egg roll wrappers in half diagonally and carefully roll and seal all the seams so that steam cannot escape during the frying process. Keep a cup of water handy to moisten the seams so that they will seal.
- Deep fry on a low to medium heat until the peppers are golden brown.
- Place the unused stuffed peppers in a freezer bag and freeze. This keeps the cheese a little bit solid while the wrapper and pepper cook. (They will also keep this way for a long time so that you can enjoy them later.)
Now, these things are howling hot on the inside so hold on while they cool. I am sure, however, that you will agree that they will make you want to slap your mama; especially with a cold adult beverage of your choice.
If you would like to participate in a pepper party and post potentially potent recipes for pepper people, please provide it in the comment section below.
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About Me
The life of any News Director is stressful most days... so, when the weekend rolls around I find myself on the back roads of our bountiful and beautiful part of the state looking for bluegrass music, interesting things to do, and, of course, fried chicken. I will try to share some of these "finds" with you. There are a thousand stories left to be told or simply remembered. Don't expect to find them all here; maybe just a little stroll down memory lane or maybe a little skewed insight into topical issues.
Larche Hardy,
News Director
All My Entries:
- Nashville Bluegrass at IBMA
- Marty Raybon and Georgia Bluegrass
- Curse of the Acoustic Guitar
- A Millville Hero
- Bluegrass at BAMA JAM a hit!
- Bird watching not a bore
- No Poet Laureate
- Let the Bluegrass begin
- Hurry Spring
- Alabama’s Highway 52
- Cell Phone Interuptus
- Bellying up to the bar
- Resolutions are Doomed to Failure
- Bah-dad-gum-Humbug
- A hunting we will go!
- Hot Stuff!
- My new camo hat… A bargain at $34
- The Road Trip
- “If you don’t want to make the news, just don’t do it.”
- Hostage
- Not a Cat Person
- Hollywood - Here I don’t come…
- Found: a cure for the blues…
- It won’t be long…
- Not Enough Historical Markers, I say…
- Evolution takes many forms
- Revisiting Vernon
- All I know is that it’s hot…
- I Love Slocomb
- The Not-So-Casual Traveler
- The Casual Historian
Other News13 Blogs:
- The Casual Historian - Larche Hardy
- Derby Girl - Enocha Van Lierop
- The Newby - Jessi Chapin
- Gainesville, Georgia's All American Girl - Tuquyen Mach
