These are a variation on Jalapeno Poppers using Padron chilli peppers, and are baked rather than fried. Padron peppers are a type of chilli that varies in heat, most are mild, some are medium heat and the occasional one is very hot, so these add a bit of fun to eating with friends – you never know what you’re going to bite into!

WHAT YOU NEED:

– 15 to 20 Padron chillies (they vary a lot in size and shape, so it’s hard to be precise on number)
– 125g/4oz Cream cheese
– 4oz Grated cheese (I used a mixture of strong cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan – a mixture like that is ideal because you get the strong taste from the cheddar and parmesan, and some stringiness from the mozzarella).
– 1 Rounded tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
– Golden breadcrumbs – Not sure how much I used, I just sprinkled it out from here:

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Place the chillies down on a surface to find where they sit without rolling, then take a slice lengthways off of what is now effectively the top face of each chilli, leaving the stalks on. You don’t need the bits you slice off, so save them for something else.

2. Thoroughly clean out the insides of each one, removing all the seeds. This is a bit fiddly because you don’t want to break the peppers. I found it easiest to use a small teaspoon to scrape everything up and then run them under a tap to clean it all out.

3. Mix the cream cheese, grated cheese and parsley together. Taste it, if your cheese is very mild you might want to add a bit of salt in – I didn’t need to with mine.

4. Generously stuff all the peppers with the cheese mixture and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.

5. Arrange them on a baking sheet/tray and bake in a preheated oven 200C/400F for 15-20 minutes until they are browning and bubbling.

Serve right away, they need to be eaten hot!