Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody! In honor of a day devoted entirely to eating food, drinking booze (oh yeah, and celebrating the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla -- booyah Wikipedia!), I'm going to share a couple of things that are very close to my heart. 1) My absolute favorite barbecue accessory, and 2) my secret recipe for Jalapeno Poppers that will literally blow your socks off. Truly, they'll fly off in little cotton-y pieces.
[$20, Williams-Sonoma]
First things first: the jalapeno roaster. This handy little device has 18 perfectly shaped pepper holes (or jalapeno hatches, as we like to call them around my kitchen), and is perfect for barbecuing. Bonus: it also slips right into the oven if the weather outside is fickle. If you've never had a handmade fire-roasted jalapeno, a world of tastiness awaits you.
Speaking of tastiness, I've made Jalapeno Poppers with this secret recipe every year since I had my own oven to cook in, and they are indeed the best ever. Delicious, perfectly spicy, and easy enough for 19-year-old me to whip up in a jiff:
The Best Roasted Jalapeno Poppers You'll Ever Have, Ever
Ingredients:
- 18 jalapenos
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Slice off the tops of the jalapenos just below the stem. Use a small
knife to cut out the core and seeds. Heat a skillet with a little oil and saute the peppers for a minute (this makes them soft and easier to stuff). While the jalapenos are cooling, make the filling: stir together cream cheese, cheddar, and olive oil. Mince roasted red peppers, onion, and garlic and stir into cheese mixture. Top off with cilantro and salt to taste. Carefully stuff the peppers and place them in the roaster and put directly on your barbecue grill for about 8-10 minutes. Alternately, if you don't (yet) have a fancy roaster, you can put the peppers on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes.
But, you know, it is a secret, so don't go posting it on the Internet or anything.
Related: Happy Hour: Some Like It Hot, Spice Things Up
