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You can purchase jalapeno "poppers" in any grocery store, and they make a delicious appetizer, and yes, I eat them all of the time. But how would like you like to create an appetizer, similar to those served on the streets of Tijuana, and other Mexican cities, by street vendors, who ply their trade utilizing push carts as their kitchen? I picked up this recipe, after exploring the streets of Tijuana's Zona Norte, which is mostly famous for its prostitutes, honky-tonk bars, strip clubs, and other diversions. But some of the best street food that I've ever tasted in Mexico is produced from the Zone Norte, including these bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers... Special
tools: Garlic press, grill, any type, latex gloves, optional,
but very useful
8
meduim jalapeno peppers If I'm only preparing one or two jalapeno peppers, I don't bother with gloves. But in preparing 8 poppers, I highly recommend using disposable, latex gloves to keep the hot oil off your hands, and from underneath your finger nails.
Left: This photo clearly illustrates how the peppers should be sliced open, with the seeds and veins removed. Right: I'm spooning the filling inside a jalapeno pepper. Slice each pepper lengthwise, taking care not to sever stem. Using your thumb, scoop out all seeds and remove veins; seeds and veins contain most of the heat, but very little taste. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, shredded cheese, diced onion, pressed garlic, sour cream, oregano and olive oil. With mixing spoon, blend ingredients until well-mixed, adding additional sour cream until blended to the consistency of cottage cheese, or butter.
Left: Jalapeno peppers are stuffed and ready to be wrapped in bacon. Right: Stuffed jalapeno peppers are wrapped with a slice of bacon, and are ready for the grill. Using large spoon, fill each jalapeno pepper with mixture. Tightly wrap each stuffed pepper with a slice of bacon. Heat grill to high temperature. Place bacon wrapped peppers on grill, turning four times, about every 2 minutes, or until pepper and bacon wrapping have grill marks on all sides. Serve as an appetizer. In one of my travels to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, I found a street vendor selling hot dogs and stuffed bacon-wrapped jalapeno peppers near the huge arch at the cornor of Av. Revolucion and Calle Articulo 123, a.k.a., First Street. How could I resist a treat like this? Tijuana's Zona Norte is known prostitutes, hookers, Adelita bar and all of that sort of stuff, but if you like Mexican street food, it's the place to be.
Photo: Bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeno peppers are on the grill and are almost ready to eat. Note the grill marks that have appeared on the bacon, and are starting to appear on the peppers. When distinct grill marks appear on the peppers, they're ready to eat! I like to scoop the seeds and veins out of the jalapeno peppers with my thumb, and no matter what method you use, you'll get some hot stuff superimposed under your thumbnail. I use the disposable gloves to accomplish this chore, after a miserable experience of rubbing my eyes with a jalapeno-affected thumb that resulted in an involuntary crying spree that lasted several hours.
Copyright(c) 2008 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...
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