Smoky Stuffed Peppers

Have I mentioned before how much I love smoked cheeses?  Because I do.  I also love some great smoky bacon -- when used in moderation.  As much as I might like to, you can't have bacon every day.  And you really shouldn't have to add it to everything you cook.  But every once and a while it's fantastic.

This was a great way to use some of the sweeter peppers that Farmer Eric gave us.  I used smoked Gouda, bacon, Panko bread crumbs, and tomatoes.  Gouda is a wonderful cheese from my homeland -- The Netherlands. And being from Iowa you know I love to cook with pork.

Cut the cheese into small cubes.  Cook the bacon until it is tender, but not yet crispy. Drain the fat off and dice into small pieces. Then mix them together with Panko bread crumbs, diced tomato, and fresh parsley.  Cut the ends off the peppers and carefully scoop out the seeds and ribs.

I had to use my hands to get the filling stuffed all the way down to the bottom of these peppers.  If you have larger peppers, you can probably use a fork or a long spoon.  Cover the ends with aluminum foil to keep the filling from seeping out during cooking.  The recipe suggested wrapping the entire pepper -- but I wanted to add to the smoky flavors by charring the outside of the peppers on the grill.

Be very careful when you turn these on the grill so your stuffing doesn't fall out.  I wanted to soften the peppers, melt the cheese, and get a nice char on the skin of the peppers.

As you can see I had a couple of the foil covers come off when I was taking them off the grill.  It's not the end of the world -- but you do want to save as much of that filling as possible.

The charred peppers were sweet and smoky.  The bacon and cheese were rich and gooey, with a nice acidic tomato, and some freshness from the parsley. The bread crumbs work to bind everything together into a pretty perfect bite.  

My old roommate the chef happened to call the night I made these, and he thought they sounded delicious.  That makes me feel good.