The idea of eating a whole Jalapeño chili may not be for everyone but hear me out. If you make sure you remove all the seeds and the membranes from the inside of the Jalapeños before you fill them, they’ll be perfectly tame.
Roasting chilies actually develops their sweetness, like a capsicum (bell pepper), and by stuffing them with a creamy cheesy filling, you end up with that yin-yang of hot and cold, sweet and spicy that makes this dish a joy to eat.
These little poppers are great to share and make perfect appetisers for a crowd.
You can prepare these in advance and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them. Substitute the mascarpone with ricotta or cream cheese if you like.
Chilli-Poppers with Mascarpone
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a large oven tray with baking paper.
- Mix the mascarpone, 50g of the parmesan, mozzarella and basil until thoroughly combined.
- Cut the Jalapeños in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Do this with a spoon, avoiding touching with your fingers. Use rubber gloves if you like. There is nothing worse than touching your eye hours later with remnant of chili on your fingers (believe me, I’ve done it many, many times).
- Fill the cavity of each Jalapeño half with the mascarpone mixture.
- Whisk the eggs in a small bowl with the water to make an egg wash. Place the flour in a second bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs, remaining parmesan and oregano in a third bowl. Dredge each Jalapeño in flour, then egg wash and finally coat in breadcrumb mix. Place in a single layer on your oven tray, cut side facing up. Sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until chilies are tender and crumb is golden.
Recipe from my book – Food for Sharing, Italian Style, New Holland Publishers, Photo – Jonathan VDK
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