Hot Pepper Spread

I first made this to go with my scramble egg bruschetta but quickly discovered plenty of uses for it.  It’s a delicious garlic bread spread, great added to fried potatoes, and adds a spicy touch to hummus.  With summer coming to an end, and all the hot peppers and parsley I have in the garden, this is nice to keep in the refrigerator for quick meal ideas.  I have not tried making this with green peppers but if you don’t like the heat and want to give it a try, let me know.

Ingredients:

8 Hot peppers (I use Hungarian Hots)
Salt and Pepper
1 ¼ cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil

Rub the peppers lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Place them on a baking sheet in an even layer under the broiler until they begin to blister.  Keep flipping them over to get all sides blistered.   Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes, and then remove the stems and seeds.

Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan just until you begin to smell them.  In a food process combine the hot peppers, parsley, cheese, pine nuts, garlic and some salt and pepper.  Process until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube until smooth.  You want it to be a spreadable consistency.  If is begins to get to thin, then stop adding the oil.

You can refrigerate this for up to a week.  Actually I used mine after 10 days and it was still just as good as the first day I made it.  After trying it I am sure you will find many uses for it, after all, it is Mangialicious!