1. To prepare the Pickled Peppers, remove the tops and seeds from red and yellow bell peppers. Slice in to circles, and set aside in a bowl.
2. Mix water, 2 cups vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, making sure the sugar dissolves.
3. Pour the pickling mixture over the peppers, and refrigerate overnight (Chef’s note: This recipe makes about a quart of pickled peppers, which can be refrigerated and used for future dishes.)
4. To prepare the Ghost Chili Pepper Hot Sauce, coat a sauté pan in olive
5. oil and caramelize the onion slices over medium heat. Combine the caramelized onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, ghost chili pepper, and ¼ cup white vinegar in a food processor. Add salt, black pepper, and sugar to taste.
6. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to a simmer until the liquid reduces by half. (Chef’s note: This recipe makes about a quart of hot sauce, which can be refrigerated and used for future dishes.)
7. To prepare the Stuffed Poblano Peppers, cook and break up sweet sausage in sauté pan over medium-high heat until brown. Mix in grated provolone cheese.
8. Slice poblano peppers longways, and stuff each pepper with half of the sausage-cheese mixture. Add extra cheese on top if desired!
9. Roast stuffed peppers on a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat until pepper is slightly charred and cheese starts to melt.
10. Serve all three pepper components together, using as much of the Pickled Peppers and Ghost Chili Pepper Hot Sauce as desired.

Recipe by Thorton Hall, sous chef at The Pines Tavern.
Photograph by Michael Fornataro / Styling by Samantha Casale