Peperoni Imbottiti

Italian cuisine is well known for superb vegetable cookery.  Stuffed vegetables, found across Italy, and known as verdure farcite, are a particular favorite.  This versatile method starts with large or small vegetables that serve as a vessel to hold a filling.  

 

Whether you stuff mushrooms or tiny peppers for an antipasto, or something larger, such as bell peppers, eggplant, or zucchini, for a side or main dish, vegetables prepared in this fashion are a flavorful and satisfying offering.  Every family has a recipe box filled with notes on making these satisfying, often very economical dishes. 

 

The fillings are as varied as the cooks who create them.  The traditional stuffings in particular are a model of the thrift of the Italian cook, a cooking style in which nothing goes to waste.  Most recipes call for a starch that adds body and texture while serving as a carrier for the flavors of other filling ingredients.  In the tradition of cucina povera you will often find “day-old bread, cubed”, sometimes soaked in milk, as a first ingredient. Further investigation will yield recipes that call for rice.  

 

The rice is pre-cooked, sometimes in water, but often in chicken or vegetable stock for added flavor.  With the addition of a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil and a bay leaf, the rice gets a head start on flavor.  From the starch component the list of ingredients, both savory and sweet (as in the case of dried fruit such as raisins and apricots), is positively endless. Experiment in your own kitchen. Open your freezer.  

 

Do you have some frozen peas? Some corn, perhaps?  Look to your herb garden and add a bit of chopped rosemary, perhaps a few sage leaves or some thyme to boost the flavor.  If you have a few mushrooms, chop them, and saute them along with the onion.  No onion?  Try shallots instead.  If you are looking for something that is a meal in itself, brown your favorite sausage, toss in a few chopped tomatoes, and add the mixture to the filling.  There is no end to what you can do with stuffed vegetables, especially bell peppers, a most versatile way to prepare a healthful, tasty meal.

 

1 pepper per serving

For the peppers, I prefer red, yellow, or orange.  They are more flavorful than the green ones, and make a particularly lively presentation.  Also available, although somewhat expensive, are chocolate and lilac bell peppers.  They too make a striking presentation, although both lose a bit of their vibrant color during the roasting process.

 

•4 large or 6 medium bell peppers

•1 cup finely chopped sweet onion

•2 cloves garlic, minced

•1 ¼ cups Vialone Nano or Arborio rice

•¼ cup pinoli, lightly toasted

•3 ½ oz. Italian Fontina, cut in ¼ inch cubes

•2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

•¼ cup chopped black Bella di Cerignola olives

•10 basil leaves, cut in chiffonade

•1 quart unsalted chicken stock

•fine sea salt and black pepper

•1 bay leaf

•extra virgin olive oil

 

Place the oven rack in the center position, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and dry the peppers.  Slice the tops from the peppers, making the cut low enough to keep the stem attached.  Use a paring knife or melon baller to remove the inner ribs and seeds from the peppers, taking care not to pierce the skin of the peppers.  Place the peppers in an oiled baking dish large enough to hold them snugly, and sprinkle a bit of salt into each pepper.  Set aside.

 

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt, the bay leaf and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Add the rice and decrease to a lively simmer.  Cook the rice uncovered until al dente, about 25 minutes for Vialone Nano, less if you are using Arborio, closer to 15 minutes.  Drain the rice in a colander.  Discard the bay leaf, and transfer the rice to a medium mixing bowl.

 

While the rice is cooking, place 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in an 8-inch skillet.  Over medium heat, saute the chopped onion with ½ teaspoon fine sea salt until the onion is translucent and soft, stirring frequently, about 8 to 9 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, just under 2 minutes. Take care not to brown either the onions or the garlic. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to the mixing bowl with the rice.

 

Add the pinoli, Italian Fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano, olives, and basil to the rice mixture.  Add ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, and combine well.  Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if desired.  

 

Mound the rice mixture in the peppers.  Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over each rice-filled pepper. Replace the tops, and drizzle a bit more extra virgin olive oil over the peppers.  Place the baking dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven, and roast until the peppers are softened and their skins are a bit wrinkled, about 45 minutes.  Serve hot from the oven.