Category: Side Dish

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies
thepioneerwoman.com

fresh jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size
cream cheese, softened
thin, regular bacon, sliced into thirds

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking a toothpick through the middle (At this point you can freeze them, uncooked in a Ziploc bag for later use.).

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.

Serve immediately if you want ’em hot, or they’re great at room temperature.

1 hour 15 min prep
SERVES 4

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped fine (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper (or red or yellow or orange bell pepper or combination, if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 medium eggplants
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil together in large skillet.
3. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and saute over low heat until the onion is translucent.
4. Add the diced bell pepper and continue to saute until the onion is golden.
5. In the meantime, stem the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise.
6. With a sharp knife, score each half several times lengthwise and across, carefully removing the pulp.
7. Leave a sturdy shell of about 1/4″ all around.
8. Chop the eggplant pulp and add it to the skillet mixture along with all the remaining ingredients except the bread crumbs.
9. Add a bit of water, just enough to keep the mixture moist.
10. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally.
11. Stir in the bread crumbs.
12. Set the eggplant shells in an oiled shallow baking dish, which should be of a size that they can be securely propped up against each other.
13. Stuff the eggplant shells with the sauteed mixture, then drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of melted butter apiece.
14. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, or until the shells are tender but not collapsed.
15. Serve with a bit of grated Parmesan for garnish.
16. Note: if you do not like green bell pepper, you might want to try substituting with orange, yellow, or red bell pepper.