Happily, the dried beef-cream cheese balls of the 60's reappeared, amped up a bit, to stuff peppers in the 80's. They make a visually attractive and delicious appetizer for a tailgate or any party. I think I've stuffed a few thousand appetizer peppers over the years...they were a popular choice when I was catering. I use red and green peppers at Christmas and add yellow and/ or orange other times of the year. Lately I've been stuffing the bite-sized small sweet mixed peppers that come bagged, but do miss that pop of green color.
Today I used the small yellow, red and orange peppers, so I've added the original 1985 cookbook photo to show the pepper wedges. It's a photo of a photo, sorry 'bout the quality, but it serves its purpose.
For the wedges, be sure to choose three similarly -sized and -shaped peppers so they are uniform when sliced. Short and fat are preferable to long and slender. If the peppers are smallish you may want to buy four.
Using a mixer or food processor with a blade, process 8 oz. of cream cheese with 1c. ricotta cheese, 2 tsp horseradish, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, & 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, until smooth. Stir in about 3 oz. dried beef from a jar, finely chopped, 2 minced radishes or water chestnuts, 4 TB minced green onion. Set aside in the fridge.
Remove the stems of three bell peppers (one green, one red, one yellow) by cutting a small, 1" circle around the top. Save the stem & top. Scoop out the seeds and white membranes from inside the peppers. Densely pack the cheese mixture inside the peppers, pressing to fill solidly to the bottom and edges. Top with the reserved stem. Wrap each pepper in plastic wrap or a baggie, and seal. This is the stopping point if you're making these a day or two ahead.
When ready to proceed, after chilling for a minimum of 2-3 hours, discard the stems and cut each pepper in half lengthwise, then each half in four wedges. Arrange on a tray and garnish with pimiento strips or black olive slices. A longer chilling time makes slicing easier.
You'll get 24 wedges from ordinary peppers. I've pushed my luck when making dozens of these ahead for a large party ......they start getting soft instead of crunchy, and a little weepy, around the 48-hour period.. .. still OK to eat, but messier than they should be. When slicing, wipe your knife with a damp paper towel between cuts to keep the pepper from getting messy.
Serve the small bagged peppers whole, cutting a little more from the stem end to reveal what's inside.
