Two Red Pepper Recipes by Colleen

Hi Barb,

We went to dinner with some people from Steve's office and she made two fabulous red pepper dishes (there can never be enough red peppers!)  They are from Utica, NY.  By the by.  She is finding the Bay Area does not have some very important ingredients that are easy to come by in the upstate area. Some sort of bottled sweet peppers? Little ones? I think she is Italian.  Anyway, these are both easy peasy and delicious!
                           --Colleen

Thanks for contributing again to blog, Colleen!  Made the first one last week.  Yum!  And, I'll make the other over Easter weekend when we have guests. Will ask around about those little peppers in a bottle she uses.
                          ---Barbara

Baked Stuffed Red Peppers with Cherry Tomatoes, Feta, and Thyme
Martha Stewart

2 small red bell peppers, halved lengthwise through the stem, seeds and ribs removed
1 heaping cup of cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 ounces feta cheese (preferably goat's milk), crumbled
1 tsp coarsely chopped fresh thyme
8 basil leaves, torn into pieces
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in the top third. Place bell pepper halves, cut sides up, in a baking dish.

Toss together the tomatoes, feta, thyme, and basil in a medium bowl: season with black pepper.

Fill each pepper with tomato and feta mixture, dividing evenly. Drizzle each with oil. Bake the peppers, covered with aluminum foil, until they begin to soften (about 30 minutes).

Remove the foil; continue to bake until the tomatoes begin to burst and the cheese turns light brown (about 13- 15 minutes more).

Remove the stuffed peppers and serve warm!

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

2 large jars roasted peppers
2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper in oil (in a jar)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
Sharp provolone cheese

Cult peppers into bite size pieces. Add all the other ingredients and stir. Microwave about 2 minutes or until warm. Serve with sharp provolone cheese (Boar's Head makes this) on buttered club crackers or french baguette slices.