Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Sausage Stuffed Piquillo Peppers – Not So Rare Spanish Beauty

There’s nothing quite like the piquillo pepper. They’re sweet, fruity, slightly smoky, and just bitter enough. For me, they’re the San Marzano tomatoes of peppers. And while I enjoy them in literally anything, these delicate, triangular beauties are just made for stuffing.

I don’t think I’ve ever filled them the same way twice, and while this most recent exploration was quite amazing, who knows what the future will bring. Having said that, this one may be worth repeating. I loved this Spanish-inspired combination of flavors.

The thing to keep in mind is that since you’re only cooking these for about 20 minutes, you’ll want to stay away from things that take longer than that. Things like raw rice, or larger chunks of vegetables just won’t work well here. Thankfully that leaves like a thousand other possible ingredients, so you have that going for you.

These are surprisingly easy to find, and any high-end grocery store should stock them. Gourmet cheese shops almost always have them, and you can find them all over the Internet. If all else fails, ask any Spanish person living near you, and they will know. I hope you give these beautiful peppers a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 12 Stuffed Piquillo Peppers:
12 Piquillo Peppers
olive oil, as needed
4 oz chorizo, Merguez sausage, or any spicy sausage meat
1/2 cup diced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup cooked white long grain rice
2 oz goat cheese
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp parsley, plus more to garnish
cayenne to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 large egg
2 tbsp sliced or chopped almonds
1 tsp blood orange zest
1 tbsp blood orange juice
400 F. for 15-20 minutes

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Chef John! My girlfriend and I are long time followers! We were wondering where did you get your blood orange from? I know that my girlfriend always tries to hunt them down near November so I'm surprised you have one during May! Please let me know if you can! Thank you!!

Chalkycliffs said...

The ingredients list needs an egg.

Anonymous said...

We're all over this - especially with the merguez-spiced lamb option! Do you have any thoughts on how this recipe could (or whether it should) be adapted for use with fresh peppers (Fresno and the like) this summer?

Unknown said...

Another great video. Thanks Chef. My favorite part was the side shot of the mixing action!

Grams Pam said...

One of my brothers-in-law is Hispanic and my main source for things such as this. I asked, and by the time I was out of work, I had them dangling (in a bag) from my front door.

I didn't expect such a quick response, so didn't have some of the other ingredients on hand. So, I make this Hispanic dish ... Greek style; with feta, freshly toasted pine nuts, diced kalamata olives and such. L-O-V-E-D it!!

Thank you for another "spring-board" recipe. Some day, I'll likely follow the recipe you posted. (Ok, maybe)

For the person who asked ..Blood Orange availability may have to do with location. (They are a CA product for the most part). In MI, they are usually only available for a short time ... usually late Jan or in Feb each year.

I've seen Blood Orange juice in plastic containers (think that faux lime and lime type of thing) for the first time this year. DO NOT BUY IT!! Trust me, that stuff is as close to real as those plastic things filled with lemon and lime "juice" ... which means, NOT AT ALL.

Chef John said...

I got the blood orange from BiRite Market!

Angela said...

Great recipe, Chef John! Can't wait to try this

tim said...

forgot the egg...no difference...flew off the plate at super b party...thanks CJ

Unknown said...

Made this with your patatas bravas and a seared squid appetizer I threw together, a great weekend dinner! I used chorizo in lieu of the merguez, though I think that your call to go with merguez is a better fit with the cumin notes. Looking forward to scaling these out for a great appetizer for a party.

Unknown said...

Made this with my wife and it was delicious! Either my piquillos were smaller or I did not fill them enough but I ended up with more than 20.
In fact I used the whole jar! Not complaining, there was more to eat. Thank you for this recipe.

Unknown said...

Actually the Spanish version of these doesn't have any meat or eggs!
It's better that way anyway...you can taste the flavor of these peppers!