Shelly's Recipe

ITALIAN APPETIZER PUFFS

Category: Hot

For Sauce:
2 red sweet peppers
Dash ground red pepper
2 anchovy fillets or 1 tsp anchovy paste
1 tbsp butter

For Puffs:
3/4 cup water
6 tbsp butter, cut up
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp onion salt and dry mustard
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup finely chopped pepperoni
1/3 cup thinly sliced pitted ripe olives

FOR SAUCE: Quarter red sweet peppers. Remove stems, seeds, and membranes. Place peppers, cut side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425 degrees F oven for 20-25 minutes, or till skin is darkened and blistered. Remove from baking sheet and place in a clean brown paper bag. Close bag tightly; cool 30 minutes. Remove skin from peppers; discard skin.

In a food processor bowl or blender container combine roasted peppers, ground red pepper, and anchovy fillets or anchovy paste. Cover and process or blend till smooth. Pour into a small saucepan; add margarine or butter. Heat and stir till margarine or butter melts. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Keep warm.

FOR PUFFS: In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, oregano, onion salt, and dry mustard. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir till mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, to butter mixture, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition about 1 minute, or till smooth. Stir in pepperoni.

Drop dough by well-rounded tspfuls into 24 balls, 2 inches apart, onto a lightly greased large baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes, or till golden and firm. Cool slightly on a rack. Split in half. Spoon a little red pepper sauce and a few olive slices in bottom half of each puff; replace tops. Serve warm.