I made these petits farçis as part of a Bahà’ì new year celebration. The Bahà’ì new year (Naw-Ruz) falls on the same day as the first day of spring, so it presents a lovely opportunity to celebrate the new season. I prepped these the day before, then baked them just before our party as fun little appetizers.

Makes 4 servings; 30 min prep, 15 min cooking, 45 min total

• 12 sunset baby peppers
• 1 large fennel bulb
• 8 campari tomatoes
• 4-5 brown crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp herbes de provence
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the bottom root off of the fennel, cut off the fronds, and cut the bulb in half. Blanche the two halves in simmering water until a fork will pierce them with a bit of effort (about 10 minutes). They should not be so soft that the fork passes through too easily. Separate the layers to produce 6-8 shells. Save the innermost portions that are too small to stuff in a bowl for later use. While the fennel is blanching, prep the peppers and tomatoes.

Chop the tops off the peppers, trim any extra pepper off of the tops, and add to the bowl with fennel bits. Use a paring knife to scrape the ribs out of the inside. Gently run your finger inside the peppers to be sure that the pepper is ready to stuff.

Carefully cut the top off the tomatoes, trim any extra tomato around the center, and add these bits to the bowl with the trimmed pepper bits. Use a small spoon to carefully scoop out the squishy insides of the tomatoes. Add the insides to the same bowl where you’re saving the extra bits. The campari should be left as a pretty firm shell. Stuff a little bit of paper towel in each tomato to soak up any extra moisture.

Lay all the vegetable shells ready to stuff on a baking sheet, keeping the tomatoes upside down.

Heat the olive oil in a small sauteé pan. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and shallots. When they are translucent, push them to the outer edges of the pan and add the mushrooms. Stir the mushrooms frequently and cook until the mushrooms release their juices. Stir the whole contents of the pan together and add the herbs, breadcrumbs, and the bowl of vegetable insides that you saved. Cook for a few more minutes, then taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.

Fill each vegetable with enough of the mixture to fill to the top without overflowing and place them back on the baking sheet. At this point you can save them in the fridge overnight. Bake the filled vegetables in an oven at 400°F for 15-20 minutes. Remove the tomatoes after 12 minutes so they still have some integrity. Serve up as beautiful hors-d’oeuvres to start off a spring party!