Long Hots are an Italian-American phenomenon in my area, especially in summer. We have them with everything. The amount of heat they produce can be mild to LOOK OUT!!! You truly never know what you will get, but they are simply one of the best peppers. Recently, local cooks have created an appetizer using long hots. They stuff them with a sausage mix and they are simply amazing. So I thought I would take a shot at making them.....and they were delicious.
I have to share, stuffed long hots are not an easy task. My first attempt was a disaster. I had to settle for a long hot salad as I had not idea what I was doing. My long hots were too small and stuffing them was impossible. So, first tip, the long hots have to be wide enough for stuffing. What I should have done is served smaller long hots split down the middle instead of trying to stuff them. Even with the wider long hots, you may have to cut them in half for stuffing. Only the largest and widest can be completely stuffed. Something I have not mastered yet do the the summer harvest is not at it's peak.My sausage mix was outstanding and flavorful. Feel free to experiment with yours. No limits with this recipe. You can change your stuffing and experiment as you see fit.
Ingredients
Long Hot Peppers (Wide as possible)
Stuffing Mix
Sweet, Medium or Hot Ground Sausage Mix (1 pd.)
1-2 eggs
1/2 cup of Italian Bread Crumbs
Asiago Cheese Grated (1/4 cup)
Cracked Salt and Pepper 1 tsp
1 tsp Garlic salt
1 tsp Oregano
Thinly slice garlic
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the stuffing mix. Crack the eggs over the mix. This allows for the mixture to stick consistently. You can add the cheese in the mix or as a topping on the peppers if you decide to slice them because they are too small. What you want to do is experiment with the consistency. You may need to add more bread crumbs if you feel the mix needs it. That's what is great about trying something new, you can experiment with the recipe to your liking.
There are multiple ways to cook them. You can use a Cast Iron Skillet (my favorite) coated with Olive Oil. I love the skillet because a seasoned skillet absorbs and redistributes the flavors evenly in my opinion. Another option is to cook them on a gas grill. The fire roasted flavor adds a different twist. Lastly, you can cook the peppers in the oven. (Broiling at the end would be my recommendation for the tops of the peppers and melting the cheese.)
Try different cheeses and add different flavors to the mix. You can add red wine, crushed red pepper, or any Italian Mix you find at the grocery store.
So good.....enjoy!
