Appetizers
Cherry Pepper Poppers
Difficulty:
Medium
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
25 minutes
It’s a Mezzetta spin on the classic jalapeño popper! We’ve taken our sweet cherry peppers, stuffed them with tangy cream cheese and fried them to perfection, for a savory appetizer that is sure to please.
- 2 (16 ounce) jars Sweet Cherry Peppers drained
- 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1.5 cups plain breadcrumbs
- Salt, to taste
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Cut a slit into the side of each cherry pepper and, using a ¼ teaspoon measure, carefully scoop out the seeds.
- Add the room temperature cream cheese to a zip top bag and snip one corner of the bag with scissors. Carefully pipe the cream cheese mixture into the cherry peppers and set aside.
- Set up a dredging station with 3 shallow bowls and add, in this order, the flour to one bowl, the beaten eggs to another and the breadcrumbs to the last bowl. Season the contents of each bowl with salt to taste.
- Preheat about 2-3 inches of vegetable oil to 350°F in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
- A few at a time, coat the stuffed Mezzetta® Sweet Cherry Peppers in all-purpose flour and shake off any excess. Transfer the peppers to the egg mixture, tossing to fully coat and finally into the breadcrumbs, tossing until the entire pepper is coated in breadcrumbs. Place the peppers on a clean plate and continue this process until all of the peppers are breaded.
- Carefully fry the peppers in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Continue this process until you have fried all of the peppers.
- Transfer the peppers to a serving platter with some ranch or bleu cheese dressing on the side for dipping.
- Enjoy!
