Shrimpy Jalapeno Buggers

I first enjoyed this morsel in a funky restaurant/bar downtown in Manhattan. They are a terrific starter or a party dish. The level of heat depends on the heat of the pepper. These little buggers can burn you mouth so be careful, especially if you’re using the merciless peppers of Quetzlzacatenango! Grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum.

Clean and devein your shrimp leaving the tail on. Partially cook the bacon in a frying pan, just like you would for breakfast, except only on one side (you don’t want it to crisp). Remove from it’s fat and put it asaide. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and fine grate a bowlful of cheddar cheese and about half the amount of Asiago.

Slice a pocket lengthwise in each pepper and discard the seeds. Into this pocket sprinkle just enough cheddar to line the pepper, but not stuff it. Add a touch of garlic and place one of the shrimp snugly inside the pepper head first with whatever doesn’t fit and the tip of his tail hanging out the side. Wrap this funky thing up with a strip of the partially cooked bacon.

Place them all on a greased baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until the bacon begins to crisp and the shrimp is just about cooked (he’ll turn pink). Remove from the oven and sprinkle the grated asiago and any leftover cheddar over the top and melt.