Happy Saturday people! Well, the weather has turned a little cooler, so Im going to heat up the kitchen a bit tonight with todays recipe. Jalapeno Poppers! Six Jalapenos will feed 2 people as a good starter. If you want more, just double up. You can usually buy fresh Jalapenos in Morrisons or at good farm shops. 6 Fresh green Jalapenos 200g full fat cream cheese 50g mature cheddar, grated 50g grated mozzarella 2 strips smoked streaky bacon 2 eggs 1tbsp milk 1 cup plain flour 2 cups breadcrumbs 1/2tsp salt 1/2tsp pepper Vegetable oil for frying To prepare the jalapenos, cut lengthways from the stalk to the tip, just cutting through the top side. Then, at the stalk end, cut a across, only half way through, to create a T cut on one side of the chilli. Open this T so that you can easily remove all of the seeds and membranes inside the chilli. Repeat with all of the chillies and set aside. Put your two bacon strips on an oven tray and bake at 180c until they are crispy, but not burned. Allow to cool and chop into small pieces. Next, mix the cream cheese, cheddar and mozzarella in a bowl with the bacon pieces until you have a creamy mixture. Pop this into a piping bag or just use a spoon and fill the chillis with the mix. Fill enough to leave no air gaps, but so you can still close the chillies. Whisk the eggs with the milk and pour into a shallow bowl or large plate. Pop the flour on another plate and mix in the salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs on a third plate. Take each jalapeno, one at a time and use a fork to score the sides of the flesh. This will help the flour adhere better. Then roll the chilli in the flour making sure all of it is covered. Tap off any excess flour and roll in the egg, again, ensuring full coverage. Then roll in the breadcrumbs. For a good coating, pop the chilli back into the egg and then the breadcrumbs one more time and set aside. Repeat with all of the chillies and place on a tray and pop into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place a large deep frying pan or saucepan over a moderate - high heat and pour in 2 inches of vegetable oil (or set your deep fat fryer to 160c). When you can see ripples on the surface of the oil, remove the chillies from the freezer and cook 3 at a time in the oil. Coming out of the freezer, there will be a small amount of water, so be careful and place in the oil away from you as there will be some spitting. Cook in the oil for 3-4 minutes until the breadcrumbs have turned a light golden brown. Remove and rest on a piece of kitchen towel. Cook the remaining poppers in the same way and preheat your oven to 180c. When all of the poppers are fried, pop them onto a baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes. You can just fry them for longer, but part fry - drain - part bake reduces the amount of oil. They are ready to serve as soon as they come out of the oven. A good fresh tomato salsa makes a great accompaniment to these poppers. They certainly have a good kick, but they wont blow your head off and when youve made them once, youll find any excuse to make them again. If you want to make a big batch in advance for a BBQ or party, you can make them as above to the point where they have been fried. Allow to cool, store in an airtight freezer bag or container and place in the freezer where they will not be crushed. They can be kept like this for up to 3 months and to serve, you simply unwrap and pop straight into a 180c oven and cook for 15-18 minutes until piping hot throughout. :)
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 12:24:38 +0000