Pepperazzi

Baby you'll be famous/chase you down until you eat this . . .

Sweet roasted red peppers and delicious cheese smolder atop a crispy cornmeal-flax crust. If you're feeling more sinister than sweet, add some shreds of chili pepper to the mix.

Here I used sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers from my favorite farmer's market stand, Ward's Berry Farm of Sharon, MA. Jimmy Nardello peppers are thin and easy to work with, with easily digestable skins and seeds. My husband is lactose-int0lerant, so I used Soyakaas soy cheese (neither Ward's nor Soyakaas have sponsored these statements). I find it melts better than the other lactose-free cheeses I've tried because it contains casein, or milk protein.

Total Time: 60 minutes
Work Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-4

8-10 Jimmy Nardello peppers, or red bell peppers
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 c flaxseed meal
1/2-1 T salt
1 1/2 c water
3 T EVOO
1 c cheese or soy cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Drizzle peppers with olive oil and roast 15-20 minutes until skins begin to blister. Remove from oven, cool, remove stems (and ribs, seeds, and skins if desired), and chop into bite-sized pieces.
3) Raise oven heat to 450 degrees.
4) Whisk together cornmeal, flaxseed meal, and salt. Slowly add water, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Whisk in 1 T EVOO. Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream.
5) Heat 2 T EVOO in a 10" ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add batter. When edges begin to crisp, transfer to oven. Cook until center is firm, ~30-40 minutes. Remove from oven.
6) Preheat broiler.
7) Top flatbread with 1/2 c cheese, peppers, and another 1/2 c cheese.
8) Broil 3 minutes and serve.