Tag Archives: peppers

Sides, Vegetarian

Roasted Peppers with Breadcrumbs

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Whenever I visit my Sicilian brother-in-law, I’m treated to a culinary masterpiece that rarely graces Italian restaurant menus—Roasted Peppers with Breadcrumbs. This dish holds a special place in his heart as it’s his mother’s recipe, bringing a taste of Sicily to our lunch gatherings. 

Roasted Peppers with Breadcrumbs

Ingredients

  • 4 or 5 red or yellow bell peppers
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 thinly sliced onion
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons of yellow raisins
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios or walnuts
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup Parmesan grated cheese

Begin by preheating to 400°F. 

Roast, Peel, and Slice the Peppers

Roast the bell peppers until their skins char and blister. Once roasted, carefully peel and slice them,Roasted Peppers with BreadcrumbsRoasted Peppers with Breadcrumbs

Sauté the Onion

In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the thinly sliced onion with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook until the onions become soft and translucent.

Combine Peppers and Onions

Add the roasted peppers to the sautéed onions.  Allow them to mingle and cook together for approximately 10 minutes,

Raisins and Nuts

Add 2 tablespoons of yellow raisins and 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios or walnuts to the pan. 

Sprinkle Breadcrumbs and Parmesan

Sprinkle ¼ cup of breadcrumbs over the mixture. Follow this with a generous ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
Roasted Peppers with Breadcrumbs, whether served as a side dish or the star of the meal, this recipe is a testament to the artistry of Sicilian cuisine. Buon Appetito! Roasted Peppers with Breadcrumbs

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Meat

Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers

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Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers

Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers is a simple one pan recipe with easily available ingredients. It’s a typical home cooked Italian diner.  

Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers
Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. thin skinned potatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 each red & green bell pepper
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • salt and black pepper
  • 5 or 6 Italian sausages cut into thirds
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
Preheat your oven to 425o.
Sausage with Potatoes and PeppersCut the potatoes, onions, and bell peppers into bit sized pieces. Place them in a bowl with the oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Toss and coat
Sausage with Potatoes and PeppersPut the vegetables to a large roasting pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Place the sausage in the same bowl that the vegetables were in and shake to coat with any remaining olive oil and thyme. Place the sausage directly on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.
Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss the sausage and vegetables in the cooking juices. Add the wine to the baking pan and return the pan to the oven. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until sausages are fully cooked and the potatoes are tender.
Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers

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Condiments, Sides, Vegetarian

Cubanelles

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Cubanelles

Generally known as Cubanelles, some people refer to them Italian green peppers and my mother called them “frying peppers.” They’re easy to prepare and are good as a side dish, with fried eggs, and cold or room temperature in an antipasto or in a sandwich.

Cut the stem end off the peppers and remove the core and seeds. Slice them in half or quarters lengthwise.
Heat the oil and add the two crushed garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the garlic starts to brown.
Discard the garlic and place the sliced peppers in the pan. Weigh them down to flatten them. You can use a dish and tomato can (or whatever weight you like) and fry for a few minutes on each side.
When they’re done, place them in a container layered with the sliced garlic clove. Add a little extra oil if it’s to dry.  It’s good to let them marinate in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

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Condiments

Birds Eye Chilis

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Bird’s Eye Chilis

If you’ve been following my blog you know that I like spicy dishes. I’ve posted a few simple recipes for hot pepper infusions and sauces and here’s another one. This calls for Bird’s Eye Chilis. You can usually get them in Chinese markets. There’re about an inch long and look like little red fire crackers. They’re small but have big heat, somewhere between Jalapenos and Habenaros.
Bird's Eye ChilisThere’re not always available but last winter I came across some in a Manhattan Chinatown sidewalk stand. I asked if they were “Hot,” and the merchant said I should taste one. I did and although it was 22 degrees my face started sweating. They were hot.
Bird's Eye ChilisI found some in Italy that were the same as the ones I get in Chinatown. I was surprised to see them there since they were typically Asian but they were the same. Different food cultures sometimes come together.
Bird's Eye Chilis
The infusion is simple. Get a handful of peppers, about 20-25. Cut off the stems and tips so the interior of the pepper is accessible to the olive oil. Put them in a liter bottle and fill it with oil.  It doesn’t have to be EVOO.
Bird's Eye Chilis Give it about a week for the oil to pick up the flavor and get a reddish tint. You can use the oil for frying and it’s also very good for drizzling on a sandwich, or pasta or any dish you’d like to give a little kick.
The best part is when the bottle of oil and peppers is just about empty, shake out the remaining peppers and oil into a frying pan and scramble some eggs with it – excellent!

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Lunch/Snacks, Restaurants

Blistered Peppers

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Blistered Peppers

I went to a great restaurant in Harlem last week called Hop House (full menu here). You can tell from the name that they have a great selection of beer and the food was very good too. We tried a few appetizers before the main course and SHISHITO PEPPERS – blistered with sea salt, recommended by Erin the proprietor really stood out. They weren’t exactly hot but they did have a spark to them. We liked them enough to make them at home.
It’s very simple – put the washed and dried peppers in a hot dry heavy frying pan (no oil). Flatten them a bit with a spatula so they make contact with the pan. After a couple of minutes turn them. When done give them a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil. That’s it.blistered peppers
If you like peppers with a little more heat, use serranoes.blistered peppers
And if you don’t like “HOT”  you can use the same process with green bell peppers. No heat at all and still very tasty. But since you can’t blister them whole you have to cut them into strips first.blistered peppers
Whatever type of pepper that you use, they’re perfect for eating plain but I scrambled some with eggs and made  an excellent sandwich.blistered peppers

blistered peppers

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