Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese | Easy Spanish Tapas Recipe

Piquillo peppers stuffed with creamy goat cheese — bright, silky, and perfect for a Spanish-inspired tapas spread.

Ingredients
▪️12 whole piquillo peppers from a jar, drained carefully
▪️200 g soft goat cheese
▪️20–35 ml heavy cream
▪️1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing
▪️2 garlic clove, very finely grated or crushed to a paste
▪️3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
▪️Fine sea salt, to taste
▪️Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Options:
▪️1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest mixed into the goat cheese

Method
1. Drain the piquillo peppers carefully and place them on kitchen paper. Pat dry gently so they do not split.
2. Put the goat cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add 20 ml of the heavy cream, the olive oil, garlic, parsley, and orange zest. Mix until creamy and evenly combined.
3. Add a little more cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, only if needed. The filling should be soft enough to spoon or pipe, but still firm enough to hold its shape inside the peppers.
4. Add black pepper and taste before adding salt. Goat cheese is often already salty.
5. Spoon or pipe the filling into each piquillo pepper, taking care not to overfill them.
6. Arrange on a plate. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, or mix the olive oil with the sherry vinegar and spoon a little over the top. Scatter with a touch more parsley.
7. Serve at room temperature or slightly cool, but not cold from the fridge.