Pepper Shooters — A Little Heat Carried Forward, Year After Year

Rosa's fifteenth death anniversary. September 15, 2031. Fifteen years. The same duration as the bakery. The bakery and the grief: the same age, born in the same year, growing together, one in revenue and the other in depth, one measured in dollars and the other in candles, and both measured in the same unit: years of still here.

Chile colorado year fifteen. The recipe that has been made more times than any other recipe in the notebook — fifteen annual memorials plus the four graduation dinners plus the countless Tuesday nights when the kitchen needed Rosa's presence and the chile colorado is the way Rosa visits. The recipe has been cooked approximately two hundred times. Two hundred pots of chile colorado. Two hundred prayers in chile form.

I will never make chile colorado from that notebook without thinking of Rosa, but on nights when I need her close and I don’t have three hours to give the pot, I reach for something small and bright and full of heat — because heat is how Rosa spoke. These Pepper Shooters carry that same language: a sharp, briny bite, a little fire, something that wakes you up and reminds you that you are still here. Two hundred prayers in chile form taught me that peppers don’t have to be elaborate to be a memorial — they just have to be honest.

Pepper Shooters

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 12 medium pickled cherry peppers or pepperoncini, stems trimmed
• 4 oz sharp provolone, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 oz Genoa salami, cut into small pieces or folded
• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for extra heat)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare the peppers. Using a small paring knife, carefully cut off the tops of the cherry peppers and remove the seeds and membranes with a small spoon, creating a hollow cavity. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
2. Make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the provolone cubes, salami pieces, and roasted red pepper strips. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar, then add oregano and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Toss gently to coat and season with salt and black pepper.
3. Stuff the peppers. Using a small spoon or your fingers, pack the filling firmly into each hollowed pepper, pressing gently so the ingredients nestle together. A small cube of provolone should be visible at the opening.
4. Rest and marinate. Arrange stuffed peppers on a serving platter. Drizzle any remaining marinade from the bowl over the tops. Let them sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes so the flavors meld.
5. Garnish and serve. Scatter chopped fresh parsley over the platter just before serving. These can be served immediately or refrigerated for up to 24 hours — the flavor deepens overnight.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 85 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 420mg