Rustic Fare: Piquillo peppers with Manchego cheese

I was still a vegetarian when I found this tapa from José Andrés Made in Spain program. The original recipe calls for Manchego cheese (Spanish cheese). It was a delicious tapa!

Now that I follow a vegan lifestyle, I use any vegan nut cheese.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 scallion, white part only, thinly sliced
• freshly cracked pepper
• 4 Piquillo peppers
• 2 ounces any nut cheese cut into 1/8-inch sticks
• fresh thyme sprigs
• fresh parsley sprigs

Directions:

Whisk 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the vinegar, shallots and scallions together in a mixing bowl. Season with pepper. Cut a normal slit into each piquillo pepper and slide a stick of cheese into each pepper.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add the peppers and brown on both sides until the cheese begins to melt, about 30 seconds.

You can also baked them to avoid using too much oil drizzling it from your can.

Transfer the peppers to a serving platter, drizzle with some of the dressing and sprinkle with leaves from thyme and parsley sprigs.

Serve immediately.

I used to buy piquillo peppers at Trader Joe's but unfortunately, the store doesn't carry them anymore.