| Uncle Steve's Pop-n-Neros ~ By: Steve & Lindy Nearman 12 whole Habanero chile pepper (orange) stemmed ½ pound jack cheese, finely grated 1 tsp fresh horseradish (optional)* finely grated 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped fine 1 tablespoon bacon bits, fresh cooked 1 cup instant pancake mix ½ cup durum wheat flour water peanut oil Note: As a substitute for the pancake mix ~ you may want to try Jalapeño batter or simple batter shown below ~ ChileMasters Fry lean bacon to crispy and drain on paper towels. Great cheese fine. Remove stems and chop cilantro leaves fine. Grate horseradish root fine. Cut a small circular hole in the tops of peppers around the stem, approximately. 3/8 inch, and remove stem and seed ball. Mix cheese, horseradish, cilantro and bacon bits together. Stuff mixture into chile. Put about a ½ inch or peanut oil in your favorite cast iron skillet and heat to high, but not smoking. Other oils are OK. Mix a thin pancake batter using approximate double the amount of water called for. Plunge stuffed habs into batter and then roll in durum flour. After all 12 are coated repeat for a second time. A lazy-man's alternative for the batter is to cut phyllo dough and wrap each pepper. This method is not as messy, easier, faster and still taste great. Cook only 2-3 at a time to keep the oil hot. Cook each side for 30-45 seconds (flip gently with a fork), until golden tan, not brown. Serve hot. I find it hard to eat one whole peppers fresh and ripe off the plant. But I can usually eat 5-6 of these critters at a sitting. The seed removal, cooking and cheese seem to make the "heat" level more tolerable (at least for me). *Alternate filling ingredients: Horseradish can be over powering and "kill" the flavor of the other ingredients some times. You can leave it out or substitute cumin, celery seed, garlic etc. Experiment, it's the fun part of cooking!... Or is it the eating? Enjoy!! Notes: These bite sized treats are also a home remedy for the common cold or stuffy nose. ; ) Serving Size: 4 Preparation Time: 0:45 Simple Batter 1 cup flour 1 cup water 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp cornstarch salt to taste Blend until smooth. Dip veggie into batter, Deep fry, until golden. Jalapeño batter # 1 1 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 3/4 cup water Combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a large bowl. Gradually blend in the water with whisk until smooth. |
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