Culinary Guides

Round little hot cherry peppers are natural cups for stuffing. Here they get a savory filling of Italian sausage, cream cheese, parmesan, and plenty of parsley and garlic, then bake until the tops are golden and bubbling. They are a great party bite and hold up well on a charcuterie board.

Ingredients

• 1/3 lb Italian sausage
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup packed parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced scallion
• 3 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 10 oz fresh hot cherry peppers (or pickled cherry peppers from a jar)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 425F (220C).
2. Remove the sausage from its casing, crumble it into a hot skillet, and cook about 5 minutes until browned and crisp. Cool slightly, then chop into smaller pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cooked sausage, cream cheese, bread crumbs, parmesan, scallion, parsley, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the egg until well combined.
4. Halve the cherry peppers and scoop out the seeds and ribs with a small spoon or melon baller. Wear gloves, and keep the peppers away from your eyes.
5. Stuff each pepper half with a generous scoop of filling, pressing it in firmly.
6. Arrange on a parchment lined sheet pan and roast about 20 minutes, until the peppers soften and the filling is golden on top.
7. Cool slightly, garnish with extra parsley or parmesan, and serve warm.

Fold in a little shredded mozzarella or sharp cheddar for a richer filling, and choose milder or hotter cherry peppers to set the heat where you like it. They can be stuffed ahead and refrigerated, then baked with a few extra minutes.

Grower's tip: hot cherry peppers are compact, heavy croppers that ripen from green to glossy red, and their round shape makes them perfect little cups for stuffing. Pick them red for the fullest, fruitiest heat, and since they hold well on the plant you can gather a whole batch at once for a party.

A few plants go a long way here. Grow a couple of hot cherry pepper plants for the shells, keep scallions handy, and grow parsley for the filling and the garnish.