Mini sweet peppers

[heidih]

As a vegetable lover I have always had to admit that bell peppers just do not work for me. I enjoy the taste when they are cooked as I grew up in a stuffed bell pepper tradition. In Southern California they are a constant component of fajitas style preps. Still, I thought I could taste them hours later, and when cooking for one as I often do, even a sweeter one like an orange or red was too much. I loathe languishing vegetables in the crisper.

A few years ago I stumbled onto the adorable mini sweet peppers which look like an almost flattened bell pepper and range from 2 to maybe 5 inches. Hereis a good picture and a description. I found them at Trader Joe's and we tried them with a dip. Not bad, but I was not enamored.

Recently, as red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are flooding the market (healthy colors..) I have seen these in more locations. When the 99 cent store started selling bags of them, I bit. The wall is much thinner than a bell pepper, seeds are few, there is little of the white cartilage one sees in a bell, and the skin does not separate.

So far I have used them more like part of a base with onion and garlic, added to roasted vegetables. and for an omlette. The web has recipes that stuff them. As we approach grilling season I can see them stuffed with a cheese or ground meat mixture and directly grilled.

Have you been using them in interesting ways?

ETA: Here are more images

[toolprincess]

Probably not very interesting but I like them roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and salt, either by themselves or as part of a roasted vegetable medley. I also like them raw with dip or hummus.

[Jeffery C]

I personally have not played with any yet, but I look forward to testing some recipes! thanks for the tip.

[Wholemeal Crank]

I bought some once when, pound for pound, they were cheaper than ripe red bell peppers, and used them in a chickpea soup. But mostly I buy them as a couple of weeks' worth of treats for my guinea pig--the tiny size is perfect for the spoiled rotten squee-er.

[andiesenji]

I also slow roast them in the oven -

I also have pickled them in spicy pickling liquid similar to that I use for my bread & butter pickles.

A couple of years ago I found this recipe which is excellent and the cheeses can be seasoned with almost anything you desire.

My most recent experiment was stuffing the baby bells with the cheese mixture along with a calamata olive and a large black garlic clove.

I used one of the "Italian seasoning" mixtures to flavor the cheese.

[chezcherie]

i do a feta-egg-cream mixture, stuff them and roast them. the custard puffs a bit, and i chiffonade some basil on top when they come out. nice little appetizer poppers.

[Pierogi]

This is so timely.

I wanted to make a stuffed pepper recipe this week that called for the long, sweet, "Italian frying peppers". Not bells, and not poblanos or Anaheims. Sometimes I've subbed out cubanelles for the Italian peppers. I used to be able to find them reliably at both Bristol Farms and Pavilions locally (both *high end* groceries). Of course, since I wanted them, neither place has them now. I didn't want to schlep to the other end of town to check Whole Paychecks....

I looked at the Baby Bells at Bristol Farms for a long, long time, and almost took the plunge. The only thing that stopped me was that in the package they had, the individual peppers seemed too small to stuff with a sausage-based stuffing. I've seen them at TJ's in a bit larger size, but of course, I'd already done my TJ's run for the week. I ended up getting some Anaheims, which I think will work...but if those Baby Bells had been just a skosh larger.....

[scubadoo97]

These peppers are grown in my state of Fla. so they have been showing up over the last several months. I love them most any way but one of the best bang for the buck flavor wise is to just eat them straight up. The sweet pepper flavor is one not to miss and something that you don't get from the larger peppers.

[Jenni]

These have been commonly available in the supermarket chain Tescos for several years now, and are a favourite of the rest of my family (don't like the sweetness much myself, plus they make me burp!). They use them just like regular peppers.

[andiesenji]

This is so timely.

I wanted to make a stuffed pepper recipe this week that called for the long, sweet, "Italian frying peppers". Not bells, and not poblanos or Anaheims. Sometimes I've subbed out cubanelles for the Italian peppers. I used to be able to find them reliably at both Bristol Farms and Pavilions locally (both *high end* groceries). Of course, since I wanted them, neither place has them now. I didn't want to schlep to the other end of town to check Whole Paychecks....

I looked at the Baby Bells at Bristol Farms for a long, long time, and almost took the plunge. The only thing that stopped me was that in the package they had, the individual peppers seemed too small to stuff with a sausage-based stuffing. I've seen them at TJ's in a bit larger size, but of course, I'd already done my TJ's run for the week. I ended up getting some Anaheims, which I think will work...but if those Baby Bells had been just a skosh larger.....

They are really easy to grow in pots. I had 4 plants in each of 4 extra large pots, they do need support so I used tall tomato cages, and I had lots of peppers until late in the fall. I had red, yellow, orange, purple and "white" and they were very pretty. Mine got to be about 4 inches long and 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter at maturity. And they were very, very sweet.

Edited March 29, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[lstrelau]

I have used them many ways, cooked as one would use their larger brethern but usually I cut them in half and stuff them. They are perfect size for appetizers, small plates etc. Very pretty on the plate too.

Cheese and herbs are good raw, also used labnah (Lebanese thick youghurt mixed with some green tomato chutney). Cheese, crumbs,ground meat and all the normal stuffing things are good when broiled or baked.

Llyn

[kitchensqueen]

As we approach grilling season I can see them stuffed with a cheese or ground meat mixture and directly grilled.

Have you been using them in interesting ways?

ETA: Here are more images

I've got to try this - it sounds like a great, tasty idea! I like stuffed peppers, but a whole full-sized pepper is just too much for me in one sitting. Stuffing the mini ones would be just the ticket - and doing them on the grill would make them that much better.