Italian “Fried” Peppers
I love,love, love these! My Nonna makes these and they are amazing! She will fry these in oil or put them on the oven as I do. I love when the peppers to get blistery and crispy. This recipe is made with cubanelle peppers. I had to search for them a little at my store. They are long light green peppers, ideal for frying and stuffing. They are sweet peppers even though they look like menacing hot peppers. So if you have never had them, give them a try. Cubanelle peppers have a nice mild taste and flavor.
The key is just the right amount of olive oil and really seasoning the peppers well. The surprise is the stuffing. I take the day old bread and rip out only the inside white part. Not the crust. In Italian we call that “la mollica.” Literally translated it means “crumb,” but it is so much more! It’s that fluffy inside of the bread! I tear it into tinyish pieces ready to be seasoned and turned into a stuffing of sorts.
Like I said, these peppers get stuffed with that day old bread, garlic, parsley, olive oil and salt and pepper. That’s it! If your into it, you could always add a little anchovy paste to the stuffing. We sometimes do.
The smell in your kitchen while these peppers are roasting is almost not fair! These are a perfect side dish or a light lunch. Put these at the table next time you have friends over! They will be happy friends! Anyone want to come over?
Italian "Fried" Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 medium cubanelle peppers
- 2 cups day old bread inside only, torn by hand into small pieces
- 1/3 cup olive oil plus more for coating the pan and seasoning the peppers
- 2 cloves galic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash your peppers. Cut off the tops with the stem. Gently remove and seeds and ribs. Season the outside of the peppers with salt & pepper. Repeat with all the peppers.
- In a bowl tear the bread into small pieces and add 1/3 cup of olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt & .pepper. Add the anchovy paste if using. Mix with your hands to ensure the bread is coated well. You may need a little more olive oil. You want the mixture coated not saturated.
- Stuff each pepper with the bread mixture.
- Place the peppers in a lightly oiled baking sheet. Coat the peppers in a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast the peppers for 30 minutes or until they are evenly roasted. Flip the peppers half way through cooking. They should have a nice char on them.
- Place in a serving dish and enjoy!
