Ingredients
½ or 1 ramiro pepper per person – choose fairly straight ones if you can
Vegetarian pesto, olive tapenade or sundried tomato paste
A little cheese, cut into very small cubes (e.g. feta, which holds its shape, but mozzarella pearls are ideal, too)
A few capers or chopped olives
A few small cherry tomatoes, halved
A few pine nuts or halved walnuts, cashews or pecans
A little olive oil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Halve the peppers lengthways and carefully remove the seeds and pith. Cut right through the centre of the stem if you can, so that both pieces have a pretty top.
Place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment and fill them with your choice of cheese cubes, capers, nuts, olives and tomato halves. Don’t be tempted to over-fill them – it’s nice to get something different in every bite. Blob a little pesto, tapenade or sundried tomato paste on top. Finally, drizzle a little olive oil over each pepper – this is important as it will help to stop anything from catching and burning in the oven.
Bake the peppers for 10-15 minutes, until they are softened but not collapsing. The skins of the tomatoes will pucker and everything will start to get a little browner around the edges. Then they’re ready to eat – serve warm or cold, on their own as an elegant light meal or starter, or add some fresh green salad, cooked grains or pasta on the side.