Though one normally thinks of pasta as a first course dish, it is an extremely versatile ingredient in its own right, for example in this stuffing for bell peppers. These stuffed bell peppers are nice cold, and will be better the day after they're made. To serve 6:
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 00 minute
Ingredients:
- 12 large bell peppers
- 1 1/4 pounds short pasta (tubular or spiraling will be best)
- Olive oil for frying
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped
- 3/4 cup salted or pickled capers, well rinsed
- 1/4 pound pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 pound salted anchovies (visit a delicatessen for these, or use canned
- anchovy filets packed in oil if you cannot find them). In any case, wash, bone, and mince them.
- Oregano to taste
- A large bunch parsley, minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional: 2 cups melanzane a funghetto (stewed eggplant)
Preparation:
Prepare the peppers by cutting around the stems, shaking out the seeds, washing them, and patting them dry. Next, broil them to blister the skins (Ms. Francesconi suggests frying them 2-3 at a time in hot oil to blister the skins), and gently rub the skin off with a towel, taking care not to pierce the peppers. If you would rather leave the skins on you can, increasing the baking time given below to an hour.
Sauté the two cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil, removing and discarding them when they have browned. Stir the tomatoes into the pot and simmer them for 15 minutes, then add the olives and capers, lower the flame, and cook for five minutes more. After removing the pot from the fire, stir in the anchovies, oregano, parsley and pepper.
Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until it's somewhat al dente, drain it, and season it with the sauce. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (180 C).
Divide the filling mixture into 12 parts and fill the peppers. Put the peppers in a well-oiled ovenproof dish, sprinkle them with oil to taste (I'd go with a quarter cup or so) and roast them for 30-45 minutes (or an hour if you choose not to peel the peppers). They're wonderful served cold, and even better the next day. They'll go very well as a one-course meal with a chilled fruity white wine, for example, Vernaccia, Fiano or Vermentino, and a salad. Or you can serve them as a second course, again with white wine.
Yield: 6 servings stuffed bell peppers.
Sauté the two cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil, removing and discarding them when they have browned. Stir the tomatoes into the pot and simmer them for 15 minutes, then add the olives and capers, lower the flame, and cook for five minutes more. After removing the pot from the fire, stir in the anchovies, oregano, parsley and pepper.
Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until it's somewhat al dente, drain it, and season it with the sauce. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (180 C).
Divide the filling mixture into 12 parts and fill the peppers. Put the peppers in a well-oiled ovenproof dish, sprinkle them with oil to taste (I'd go with a quarter cup or so) and roast them for 30-45 minutes (or an hour if you choose not to peel the peppers). They're wonderful served cold, and even better the next day. They'll go very well as a one-course meal with a chilled fruity white wine, for example, Vernaccia, Fiano or Vermentino, and a salad. Or you can serve them as a second course, again with white wine.
Yield: 6 servings stuffed bell peppers.
