Cherry Peppers--Where to buy?

I'm kind of embarrassed posting this question, since I suspect the answer is going to be blindingly obvious, but...

On a recent trip to New Jersey, I indulged myself in one of my favorite snack foods--hot cherry peppers stuffed with provolone and proscuitto. I'm almost at the end of the batch I brought home, and want to make my own. Provolone and prosciuto I can get. But I can't find the peppers. None of the big groceries have them--no surprise there--but neither did Produce World, at Waukegan and Dempster, or Minelli Bros. on Milwaukee.

Any help? NW side preferred, including the Italian area on Harlem Avenue.

Thanks

john m wrote:but neither did Produce World, at Waukegan and Dempster, or Minelli Bros. on Milwaukee.

John,

Much as I love Minelli Bros they aren't all that strong on produce. If not Produce World then possibly, in the same general neighborhood, Market Place on Oakton, though I'm guessing the best bet would be Caputo's on Harlem.

Just to satisfy my own curiosity I called Caputo's, the fellow I talked to said they had cherry peppers, fresh, but they were green. If you are looking for ripe red cherry peppers Caputo's might not be the place. I'd call first .

Enjoy,
Gary

Caputo's Food Market
2558 N Harlem Ave
Elmwood Park, IL 60707
708-453-0155

MarketPlace on Oakton
4817 W Oakton
Skokie, IL 60077
847-677-9330

Minelli Brothers
7780 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
847-965-1315

Green is good. I may be making a Caputo's run this weekend. I'm actually thinking of other things I can stuff the peppers with--blue cheese and capicolla, some of those good anchovies, mozzarella, etc.

John:

How about mini-stuffed peppers, Neapolitan style... some fresh bread crumbs, a little garlic, anchovies, capers and olives, all minced up... touch of vinegar...

Antonius

If memory serves me correctly Farmer's Best in Niles carries them.8526 W Golf.(847)965-0260 and (857)965-9787.

Thank you. The recipe sounds fantastic, and the Farmer's Best location is also convenient.

Query to Antonious: If I were to make a batch (lets say 20) of these stuffed peppers, how should I store them. Would covered in vinegar and oil in the fridge be ok--or would this dissolve the stuffing? Are these best prepared and eaten within a day or two?

Thanks.

John:

I'm not sure what you're original plan was for preparing the stuffed cherry peppers. Were you going to roast them, (skin them) and then stuff them?

For the recipe I suggested, what I had in mind was stuffing them and baking them. For best results baking stuffed peppers, one should first roast them enough to skin them (not necessary but removing the skin makes them more digestible). With small cherry peppers, however, that might be a real pain and not ultimately all worth the effort.

The stuffing would be made by gently frying the garlic in olive oil, adding the anchovies, then (very coarse) bread crumbs, chopped olives and capers, flat-leaf parsley, pepper and maybe salt but perhaps not, depending on what kinds of olives and capers and anchovies you're using. Then in a bowl I mix into the dressed breadcrumbs a dash of red wine vinegar (optional) and maybe a splash of passata di pomodori. Stuff them, put them in a baking dish, put a little drizzle of olive oil (or some fine breadcrumbs with oil) over them and bake them.

Once baked, you should be able to keep them in the fridge as is, just covered, for long enough time to eat them all up. I guess you could (if they're firm enough and the stuffing won't easily come out), pack them in a bowl or jar and cover them with oil, but I guess I wouldn't be inclined to do that. I'd just leave in the fridge and, for consumption, either reheat them in the oven or just let them come to room temp. Stuffed vegetables at room temp are common fare all around the Mediterranean.

I hope that helps!

Antonius

P.S. If you like having fish alternatives to meat and cheese stuffings, another Neapolitan way of stuffing peppers is with baccalà (baccalà, cooked rice, onion and garlic).

Antonious,

My original plan did not involve cooking. I thought I would hollow out the peppers, stuff them with the provolone and prosciuotto, and marinade them in a 50/50 mix of vinegar and olive oil for a week or two.

I thought that your recipe involved uncooked peppers as well, hence my question about storage. I'm looking forward to trying your suggestion.

John:

I suspected that that was your intention, to stuff them raw, which is obviously a great way to go for a quick snack. In baking them (and you could certainly also bake them stuffed with some of the meat and cheese combinations you have in mind), you would be able to keep them longer. So if you can score a good source for the peppers, you can make up a batch raw for immediate enjoyment and bake up some for delayed pleasure.

A

Did you find them?If so,where?

Picked some up at Caputos. They are marinating in my fridge as we speak. Thanks for the help.