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Fun
Cooking

Sherri Williams Crestview, FL
Having entered—and won—several dozen recipe
contests in the past, Sherri had a sense she had a
winner on her hands when she created this appetizer.
“The sweetness of the peppers mixed with the pasta
and briny capers makes it the perfect small bite,” she
says. It’s also easily adaptable: You can use couscous,
quinoa or rice in place of the pasta, and you can skip
Runner- the meat or cheese without losing any of the punch.
Up

PASTA SALAD–
STUFFED PEPPERS
ACTIVE: 25 min l TOTAL: 25 min
MAKES: 35 to 40

Kosher salt
½ cup orzo or anelletti pasta
3 slices serrano ham
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest of ½ lemon, plus 1 teaspoon fresh
lemon juice
¼ cup grated manchego cheese
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup champagne vinegar
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
Sea salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
35 to 40 sweet piquante peppers (such as
Peppadews), drained and patted dry

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water
to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the
label directs. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, fry the ham in a skillet
over medium heat, turning, until crisp,
2 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels,
then crumble.
3. Combine the pasta, tomatoes, red onion,
capers, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, cheese
and half of the crumbled ham in a bowl.
4. Make the vinaigrette: Toast the fennel
seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat,
about 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board
and crush with a skillet. Whisk the olive oil,
vinegar, lemon juice, rosemary, oregano,
crushed fennel, ¼ teaspoon sea salt and the
red pepper flakes in a bowl. Pour over
the pasta mixture and mix until combined.
5. Carefully stuff the pasta salad into the
peppers using a small spoon. Top with
the remaining crumbled ham.

68 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE ● SEPTEMBER 2016