A tapa based on piquillo peppers (see page 47), which are sold in jars and cans at specialty food stores and many supermarkets and are naturals for stuffing.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small dried hot red chile
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed (reserved for stock, if desired), caps thinly sliced or chopped
1 cup cooked spinach, squeezed dry and chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
12 piquillo peppers
Preparation
Step 1
Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic browns lightly, about 5 minutes. Remove the chile and add the shiitakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shiitakes release their liquid and become tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Stuff each of the peppers with some of the shiitake-spinach mixture. Serve at room temperature or warm gently in a 250°F oven for about 15 minutes.
The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.
MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
