These are a perfect happy hour at home re-make. Guys love them, and really, no one can resist them. These are stuffed with a homemade pimento cheese! I swapped out prosciutto de parma for the bacon, it’s thinner and leaner then bacon.
Sometimes I wish I was southern. Mainly so I could’ve eaten pimento cheese sandwiches as a kid.
This one starts with cream cheese, sharp white cheddar (my favorite is Tillamook, but any cheese you like will work) and medium cheddar.
Add the pimentos.
Flavor it up! I added some red onion, Worcestershire sauce, and a little vinegar and of course, fresh cracked black pepper. Then pulse until it looks sort of mixed, but still a little chunky. That’s good!
Fill the jalapeños. First, remove the seeds and ribs.
Wrap with prosciutto. I like to slice a piece of prosciutto in half lengthwise and set a jalapeño half near one end of the prosciutto, then wrap it up like an envelope or sort of roll it if you can.
Place them all on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees, until brown and crispy.
Okay, time to talk about the beverage for a minute. This is so great with one of our current favorites: Fort George Brewery’s The Optimist IPA. It’s crisp and aromatic without being bitter. It’s a totally delicious IPA, and perfect with an appetizer like this. Happy hour at home for the WIN!
- 4oz cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 oz jar chopped pimento
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 3/4 medium cheddar cheese, shredded or chopped
- 1/2 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded or chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon vinegar
- dash Worcestershire sauce
- fresh ground black pepper
- 6 jalapeños
- 1 package prosciutto de Parma
- Make the pimento cheese. In a food processor, blend together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos and the garlic until smooth. Add the cheeses and red onion and pulse until combined but still a little chunky. Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate until you are ready to stuff the peppers. You can make this up to three days ahead.
- When you are ready to stuff the peppers, slice the jalapeños in half and remove the ribs and seeds. Fill with the pimento cheese, using about two tablespoons per jalapeño half.
- To wrap each jalapeño half with prosciutto, lay a slice of prosciutto on a cutting board and slice in half vertically, so you have two long slices of prosciutto. Lay a stuffed jalapeño on the lower third of a strip of prosciutto. Wrap it up like an envelope, starting with the short end of prosciutto, and then wrapping/rolling the jalapeño up with the rest of the prosciutto.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the prosciutto is brown and crispy. Let cool on the baking sheet for a minute before serving. The jalapeños can be stuffed and wrapped up to a day ahead of time. You will have extra pimento cheese; I hear it makes great sandwiches.