Recipe done our way: lentils in piquillo peppers with cheese croutons

Stuffed piquillo peppers with lentils and Wisconsin cheese croutons This is the At Home adaptation of Chef Julian Alonzo's recipe for stuffed piquillo peppers with lentils and Dunbarton blue cheese from Wisconsin. Click on the picture for the chef's original recipe.

We cut the salt and fat in the recipe. We also baked the cheese croutons instead of deep frying them, as in the chef's recipe. While we made the cheese croutons with full-fat cream cheese, you can further reduce the recipe's fat content by substituting lighter Neufchatel cream cheese.  

Lentils in peppers with cheese croutons

(8 servings)

1 cup dried green lentils

1/2 onion

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 bay leaf

1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 cup diced green bell peppers

1/2 cup diced red bell peppers

1/2 cup seeded and diced plum tomatoes

1 shallot, diced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons Elixer XO or other Spanish sherry vinegar, divided

2 tablespoons chopped chives

4 tablespoons cornstarch

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

4 ounces Dunbarton Blue or other firm Wisconsin Blue Cheese (I used gorgonzola)

16 piquillo peppers, drained and dried

Cooking oil spray

Fleur de sel (optional)

1. Place lentils, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a deep pot with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to simmer; cook until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils and cover to prevent them from drying out. Remove bay leaf, onion and garlic (reserve onion and garlic).

2. Mix lentils, bell peppers, tomatoes and shallot in large mixing bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and chives. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle work surface and dust hands with half the cornstarch. Form cream cheese into two 6-inch squares. Crumble blue cheese over one layer. Top with other layer, covering blue cheese. Press edges together to seal. Cut into 36 1-inch squares; roll in remaining cornstarch. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking oil spray and place the croutons on it, about an inch apart.  

4. Spray each crouton with a quick burst of cooking spray. Place cookie sheet of croutons under the broiler, checking frequently. Cook croutons until lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes. Let cool.

5. Stuff piquillo peppers with lentil salad; place two on each serving plate. Serve with cheese croutons. Sprinkle with remaining sherry vinegar, olive oil and fleur de sel, if desired.

Nutrition information (per serving): 321 calories, 17g fat (9g saturated), 41mg cholesterol, 755mg sodium, 30g carbs, 10g fiber, 5g sugars, 12g protein

-- Adapted from recipe by Chef Julian Alonzo for EatWisconsinCheese.com. The site has six recipes using piquillo peppers, including a cheese-stuffed option.

 Correction: The printed recipe listed 10g sugars. The original recipe also has 5g sugars.