The Pudding’s in the Peppers!

A sales pitch for the Tadka kitchens would probably comprise overcrowded countertops, leftover breads, eggs and milk, butter and cheeses, and a bounty of fresh vegetables. Just enough ingredients there to appease the growing appetites in our girls, and to satiate the sudden hunger pangs of the grown-ups. So, what, other than hearty breakfasts that generations over eons have been relishing to the last crumb, can possibly be made with those staples, you ask? The options are many, but here’s one to tickle your keen taste buds: bell peppers stuffed with, hold your breath, bread pudding. Sure, any stuffing will do, even leftover hodgepodges, but what the bread pudding brings to this isn’t something that can be condensed into words, unless you’d settle for eggy and scrumptious, warm and satisfying. With crackling, cheesy tops, these peppers come out of the oven looking and smelling absolutely divine. And the divine, as they say, is really in the details, so we’ve made sure the details are rich, and flavorful.

Bread-Pudding Stuffed Peppers

Serves 2

• ½ Cup milk or cream, or half and half
• 1 Egg
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Medium bell peppers, preferably red
• 4 slices whole-wheat bread, torn up or cut into small squares
• 2 Tbsp corn 
• 1 Tbsp basil pesto
• ¼ Cup grated cheese – we used a mix of gouda and mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºC/180ºF.
2. Generously butter a flat baking dish that can hold four pepper halves snugly, and set it aside.
3. Whisk together the milk/cream and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Wash and dry the peppers. Hold the pepper with the stem on top cut the peppers in half. Place the halves in the prepared dish. If any of the pepper halves is wobbling then cut a very thin slice off its bottom so that it sits flat and stable in the dish.
5. Toss together the bread, corn, pesto and half the cheese. Lightly stuff the peppers with this mixture. Set aside any excess mixture.
6. Whisk the egg mixture once more and then pour it carefully into the peppers. Let the peppers sit for 5-10 mins and then pour in more of the egg mixture if it has all been absorbed by the bread.
7. Cover the dish with its lid or heavy duty foil and bake the peppers for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15-20 mins or until the filling is set and the peppers are tender.
8. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and return to the oven just to melt the cheese. Serve hot!

Serve the peppers on their own as a starter or snack, or add a green salad to make it a light summer lunch.

We baked up the excess filling in a buttered ramekin with the remaining egg mixture poured over it..nothing goes to waste in our kitchens!