Goat cheese stuffed piquillo peppers

Ingredients

• 480 g jarred roasted piquillo peppers
• 300 g plain fresh goat cheese
• 1 piece yellow onion
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 350 g plain tomato puree
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp mild Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• to taste fine salt
• to taste ground black pepper
• 0.25 bunches fresh chives

Method

1. Gently drain the piquillo peppers and lay them open on paper towels for 10 minutes. Handle them with your fingers rather than tongs so the flesh stays intact, pliable, and glossy.
2. Prepare the filling: in a bowl, beat the fresh goat cheese with a portion of the olive oil, black pepper, and a small pinch of salt for 2 minutes. The texture should become smooth and creamy yet remain firm enough to hold its shape inside the peppers.
3. Stuff the peppers using a small spoon or piping bag, taking care not to tear them. Fold each pepper naturally closed around the filling, seam side down, then chill at 40 °F (4 °C) for 15 minutes so the cheese firms up and holds together cleanly.
4. Finely slice the onion and mince the garlic. In a saute pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat (about 285 °F / 140 °C). Add the onion with a pinch of salt and sweat for 8 to 10 minutes until translucent, tender, and lightly golden around the edges, without letting it brown deeply.
5. Add the garlic and smoked paprika. Stir briskly over low heat (about 230 °F / 110 °C) for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the paprika turns the oil a uniform reddish-orange, taking care not to scorch the spices to avoid bitterness.
6. Pour in the tomato puree, then add the sugar and sherry vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer (about 195 °F / 90 °C) and cook uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces, loses its raw acidity, and coats the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
7. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender if you prefer a silky-smooth texture, then return it to the pan over very low heat. It should remain loose and pourable without setting.
8. Carefully nestle the cold stuffed peppers into the sauce, seam side down. Cover and poach over very low heat (a bare simmer around 185 °F / 85 °C) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese reaches an internal temperature of at least 122 °F (50 °C) and turns soft and molten without leaking out. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 3 minutes.
9. To serve, spoon a generous layer of warm sauce into the bottom of shallow bowls, arrange the stuffed peppers neatly on top, and finish with a thin drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Scatter the finely minced chives over top.
10. Serve immediately, while the peppers are glossy, the sauce is deep red, and the goat cheese is warm and creamy inside the tender roasted flesh.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

413.2 kcal

Protein

16.77 g

Carbohydrate

12.47 g

Fat

33.03 g

Fibre

4 g

Calcium

86.85 mg

Iron

0.56 mg

Magnesium

13.96 mg