Ina Garten’s Spanish Tapas Peppers

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8 Servings

When we ran a series of make-ahead dinner party recipes from Ina Garten, we loved this colorful appetizer of stuffed peppers. The recipe also fits Ina’s philosophy of making a dish ahead: Look for things that would be naturally made ahead and simply baked just before serving.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream sherry
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 medium red bell peppers
2 medium yellow bell peppers
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
3/4 cup chopped green pitted olives (4 to 6 ounces with pits)
8 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and minced (leave out for vegetarian version; see Recipe Note)
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 scant teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
2/3 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette (crusts removed)
1/3 cup good olive oil
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Combine the sherry and raisins in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Drain the excess liquid and set the raisins aside.
Meanwhile, cut each pepper in half through the core and remove the ribs and seeds. Cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges and arrange them cut-side up in a single layer in two large shallow oven-to-table baking dishes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.
In a medium bowl, combine the steeped raisins, garlic, olives, anchovies, tomato, saffron, bread crumbs, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread about a tablespoon of the mixture on each pepper wedge.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the filling is a little crisp on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.