Friday, May 8, 2015

Summer Stuffed Peppers ( Peperoni Ripieni)


Forget those green bell peppers.  I know they are easy to grow here but that is no excuse. I have heard people tell me they don't eat them.  I pray  they give them away.  Green peppers are high in acid, are thick skinned, and normally have bitter in taste.   What do they do with them?  I would  like to know.
I only grow red, yellow and orange varieties. When I can't grow them,  I look for them endlessly at local markets.    This recipe, is an easy, traditional Summer recipe  that my mom always prepared during the  Summer season.  With very few ingredients, the flavor of the pepper and basil  is intense.  I am suspicious   that this recipe has some Neopolitan roots as it was originally covered in Tomato sauce.   It is always delicious.  The meat stuffing is infused with the sweet peppers.   I couldn't wait for the timer to go off and dig in.

Ingredients: For 6 servings
Preheat your oven to 375 bake
3 large cut in half or 6 small/medium with tops cut off.
split in half and seeded, rinsed and drained on paper towels
1 pound  plus 1/4  pound chopped sirloin
1 tablespoon pepper
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 slices of white bread/ ends removed and chopped in the food processor
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup basil leaves, rolled and chopped
1 cup of white wine (1/2 for the meat, 1/2 for the sauce)
1/3 cup sliced pancetta  (optional)
1 egg
1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1  14 0z can of chopped/diced tomatoes in their juice
a pinch of ground nutmeg

Clean and dry your peppers that you have cut in half.  Place in a baking dish like cups awaiting stuffing.   Into a skillet about 11 inches round,  place your onion, sautee until fragrant, add your pancetta if you like.  (Optional).  Add your meat and cook until browned.  Add your 1/2 cup white wine and  let reduce. Set  aside to cool.  Salt and pepper is added here. 
Drain into a bowl to finish cooling.
Cut up your basil, add it to your meat
Add your egg, cheese, bread crumbs and nutmeg and mix
Stuff your meat mixture into the pepper cavity. Flatten and pat down.


Do not worry that your mixture seems slightly wet.  This will dry in the oven and get crisp
After you have stuffed them all, set them aside to rest.
Into a pan dice 1 clove of garlic and one tablespoon olive oil on low/med.  Saute until fragrant. Add your tomatoes, Turn up your heat to medium, add wine, one cup of water, and reduce to half. 
Wait 15 minutes and your oil will separate from the pan. Do not worry as your tomato sauce with continue to cook in the oven.   Set aside.
Pour your cooked tomato sauce over your peppers.  Top with additional cheese. I used slices of Taleggio as it adds great texture to the top of these peppers not to mention even more wonderful flavor. You may use any you like, but something "Cremosa"  or creamy, when melted, works best.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes, covered.  Then uncover the pan for 15 minutes more until golden brown and cheese is bubbly.   Cool for 15 minutes and serve.
The left over sauce can be tossed with pasta   with a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese  for the next meal!  Fantastic!  Serve with Crusty bread!   Buon Appetito!

Pasta with Sausages and Roasted red Peppers (Pasta con Salsicce e Peperoni Rossi Arrostiti

 
When our dear friends craved something Italian, I just had to comply.  What better way to celebrate Valentine's day with some food from the country that started it all. 
Truth be told, they had been through so much lately as a family.  We were very happy to hear our friend was recovering so well from his surgery.  Time for a celebration!~ I began cooking early in the day.  Nothing like some comforting Chicken cutlet Parmigiana.  But I decided to make some pasta too. Had some sausages on hand along with my jarred Roasted red peppers.  So why not?   I don't know a Southerner who doesn't like Sausage.  It's not just for breakfast.  In fact, make sandwiches for lunch the next day.  The possibilities are endless in the Italian Kitchen.   Buon Appetito!


Serves 8-10
Ingredients: 2 packages of Sausages.  I used Italian sweet sausage. Approx. 2 pounds (Can be made with less.  Just make appropriate adjustments as the method is the same).
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
One Italian sweet onion cut up.  You can use 1/2 a yellow onion or Spanish onion if you like. (Look for something sweeter than the traditional yellow onion).  Sliced, about one cup
4 large roasted red peppers seeded.  (There are several good jarred varieties on the market.  Roast them ahead if you like, peel and cut into large strips).
2 cloves garlic diced
one small clove of elephant garlic diced (optional)
One cup of dry, white wine
Method: Place your olive oil in a large skillet and brown your sausage

Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Drain all fat from the pan in a bowl.  Spoon back into the skillet about 4-5 tablespoons.  Reserve the oil for now. (you might need it if you find your pan to dry later).
Add your onion and garlic and saute until wilted and fragrant.  This will take about 5 minutes or so on medium.
Add your roasted red peppers and mix.  Reduce for a few minutes and add your sausages back to the pan.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Turn your sausages in your pan gently.
Adjust your heat.  Add one cup of white wine and continue reducing.   At this point place your sausages into your oven on bake for 30-35 minutes.  Check them occasionally and give them a mix in the pan. 

After cooking the sausage in the oven, remove them from the pan.  I cooked some pasta with this wonderful sauce, that requires no tomato at all and is filled with gorgeous color and terrific flavor.
Since I was making Chicken Parmigiana for our friends too, I decided to take along some extra tomato sauce.  I think I made enough food for them for a few days at best.
Please excuse the metal tray.  It was a great method of transport however.  I did dress it up the best I can.

Special delivery!  Happy Valentine's Day to our dear friends, The William's.  We are so happy to know he is recovering so well from Surgery and he didn't lose his appetite.  Packed up and ready to go! ~Enjoy!!!   Buon Appetito!