youcancook

What you will need for this recipe:

6 even sized jalapeno peppers

Whatever you want to stuff them with (this one is mozzarella)

Corn Starch

2 eggs (large)

Plain or home made Italian herbed (no salt!) breadcrumbs

Canola or Peanut oil

First thing you need is to choose peppers of the same size for even cooking. Most people should wear gloves (non powdered!!!) when preparing these, I am just jaded when it comes to hot peppers.  Slice off the tops of the peppers after washing them (even if they are organic, you have no clue what was on anyone’s hands when they took them from the plant to the market!).

The only really tricky part here is removing the pith and seeds, I find a simple steak knife perfect for this.  Slide the knife down where the pith attaches on all sides, taking care not to puncture the pepper itself.  Then you can just give it a rotation and it will come out, generally in one piece.  Take your time here, it does not take long to get the hang of it.

Stuff them with what filling you want.  I don’t recommend peanut butter but if that is what you want, go for it.  I used mozzarella.

Now you will want to set up, you will need a shallow dish for the corn starch and breadcrumbs.  A bowl is great for the egg wash.  Place a layer of corn starch in one dish and do the same with the breadcrumbs. Whisk the eggs, but not too much since air bubbles make a poor surface for the crumbs. Try to go with organics and let them get to room temperature first.

A quick explanation of how I do this without making a terrible mess is to view your hands as separate chefs.  One hand will corn starch and bread, the other will dip in the egg wash.  This will keep one hand dry and keep everything from getting goopy and all mixed up.  I use my left  hand for dry, and my right hand for wet.  Trust me, once you get the hang of it you will never change that method.  How I set it is in a triangle with the eggs on the right and the cornstarch on the left, breadcrumbs behind and centered.

OK, here we go!  Roll a stuffed pepper in the corn starch with your left hand.

Now, carefully drop it in the egg wash. Note how I do not touch it with my left hand.

Lift it out with your right hand and drop it in the bread crumbs. Give it a bit of a shake and roll it around with your DRY left hand.  I usually keep a napkin on hand so I do not drip egg everywhere.

Here is the secret you will most likely get nowhere else.  Drop that pepper BACK in the egg wash and bread crumbs once more.  This is what will keep your filling from leaking out. I have, depending on the filling, done a third coating to the open end.

So, your peppers are all battered.  Let them sit!  They need to dry out or you will have an enormous amount of splattering.  Give them 10-15 minutes.

Time for a couple safety tips when deep frying.  You should know this but if not, here goes. Oil is dangerous.  Oil will burn you.  Oil, given the chance, will burn down your home.  Scared yet? Don’t be.  Never fill a pan with too much oil unless you have a pro deep fryer.  No more than half full is best in a deep pan. Keep a lid that fits the pan tightly, or a sheet of aluminum foil so you can smother any fire in the pan.  Keep baking soda open and close, if you have any fire outside the pan smother it with the baking soda or a fire extinguisher.  Do NOT use water, that will make a fire spread.

Now a couple of words about the oil itself.  There are too many camps out there and none of them agree about the ‘best’ or ‘healthiest’ oil to fry in.  I really don’t care, it is a treat or a snack.  Deal with it.  No, really, I highly suggest peanut or canola oil.  They are both very light and have a high smoking point.  What I mean by smoking point is the moment an oil will let of wisps of smoke (your commercial stove should not allow that to happen if you are standing there).  A deep fry thermometer is a great thing too! 375 degrees (F) is your optimal frying temperature so low smoke point oils can catch fire.  At the very least they will be unusable afterwords.  Every time you fry in oil you break down the composition and lower the smoking point. Let me use olive oil as an example.  I love olive oil, I buy it 3 liters at a time, but for frying?  I know I can use it once.  That is NOT cheap.  The smoking point for olive oil just happens to be 375 degrees (F).  The highest smoke points for great frying oil are (lowest to highest) peanut, corn, canola, soybean, sunflower and safflower.

Now that we have discussed that, pour some oil in that pan and get it hot! If you have a deep fry thermometer, heat it to about 15 degrees above 375. If you don’t have a deep fry thermometer flick a drop of water in.  If you hear ‘POP & SIZZLE’ it is time to fry.  How many you fry at once depends on the size of your pan/deep fryer. Too many at once and the oil will cool too much and you will have greasy poppers because that give the oil a chance to soak in before it starts frying.  Too hot?  Burnt outside, cold inside. I am using a 2 quart here so I fry 3 at a time.  They usually get eaten before I am done.

They usually take about 4-5 minutes, they will be brown and float when they are done.  Set them on a rack to cool for a second and serve.  Most people like ranch style dressing for dipping in, but I have been known to dip them in a sweet garlic chili paste or spicy marmalade.

* A couple of tips about oil and reusing.  Anything left in the oil (batter, crumbs) lessons the times you can use it.  Always try to use small crumbs and let batters drip for a second before tossing them in.  Salt is bad for oil since it draws moisture to the surface and makes oil splatter so use salt free crumbs/batters.  You can always add salt after they are done!  Keep the pan tightly lidded to keep it fresh and when the oil darkens you should replace it. The biggest thing of all? Smell it.  If it smells funny, toss it!