Chef Graziella
Arancini alla Siciliana
Golden fried rice balls from Sicily, where Arab culinary influence meets Italian home cooking. The saffron-perfumed rice conceals a heart of slow-simmered ragù and sweet peas.
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Involtini di Peperoni Arrostiti
Created by
Fire-charred peppers wrapped around a filling of tuna, capers, and anchovy. Made a day ahead, the flavors marry into something greater than their parts. This is antipasto as it should be.
Appetizers & Snacks
Italian
Potluck
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
25 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield6 servings (about 18 rolls)
These little rolls prove what I have always said: the simplest preparations demand the finest ingredients. You cannot hide behind sauce or seasoning here. Your peppers must be fresh and heavy in the hand. Your tuna must be Italian, packed in olive oil, not that dry flavorless thing in water. Your anchovies must be plump and glistening, not the brown strips that taste only of salt.
The roasting of the peppers is everything. You char them until the skin blackens and blisters, then trap them in their own steam to loosen that skin. What remains is silken flesh, sweet from the fire, ready to embrace whatever you wrap inside.
This is make-ahead food at its finest. The involtini actually improve after a day in the refrigerator. The oil mingles with the pepper juices. The capers release their brine into the tuna. The anchovy, which seemed so assertive when you made the filling, softens into something rounder. By the time you serve them, the flavors have become one thing.
Involtini di peperoni belong to the tradition of Southern Italian antipasti, where preserved fish and vegetables transformed peasant ingredients into elegant starters. The technique of stuffing and rolling vegetables spread from Sicily and Campania northward, adapting to local ingredients but maintaining the principle that simplicity and patience create the most refined flavors.
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Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bell peppers
Quantity
6 large (about 3 pounds)
red and yellow
Italian tuna packed in olive oil
Quantity
2 cans (5 ounces each)
drained, oil reserved
anchovy fillets
Quantity
8
drained and minced
capers
Quantity
3 tablespoons
rinsed and roughly chopped
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped fine
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/4 cup, plus more for drizzling
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bell peppersred and yellow | 6 large (about 3 pounds) |
| Italian tuna packed in olive oildrained, oil reserved | 2 cans (5 ounces each) |
| anchovy filletsdrained and minced | 8 |
| capersrinsed and roughly chopped | 3 tablespoons |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped fine | 2 tablespoons |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/4 cup, plus more for drizzling |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| flaky sea salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Sheet pan for broiling
- •Large bowl with tight-fitting plastic wrap
- •Shallow ceramic or glass serving dish
Instructions
- 1
Char the peppers
Set your broiler to high and position a rack four inches from the heat. Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan and broil, turning every few minutes with tongs, until the skin is blackened and blistered on all sides. This takes 20 to 25 minutes. You want the peppers collapsed and thoroughly charred. Do not be timid. The char is where the flavor lives.
You may also char peppers directly over a gas flame, turning with tongs until blackened. This method gives more control but takes longer with six peppers. - 2
Steam and peel
Transfer the charred peppers immediately to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let them steam for 15 minutes. The residual heat loosens the skins. When cool enough to handle, peel away the blackened skin with your fingers. It should slip off easily. Do not rinse the peppers under water. You will wash away the smoky flavor you just created. A few black flecks remaining are of no concern.
- 3
Prepare the pepper strips
Cut each pepper in half and remove the stem, seeds, and white ribs. You should have clean, supple pepper halves. Cut each half into strips about two inches wide. You will get two or three strips from each half, depending on the pepper's size. Lay the strips on a clean towel to absorb excess moisture.
- 4
Make the filling
In a bowl, flake the drained tuna with a fork. Add the minced anchovies, chopped capers, and parsley. Drizzle in the olive oil and two tablespoons of the reserved tuna oil. Mix gently with a fork until combined. Season with black pepper. Taste before adding salt. The anchovies and capers may provide enough. The filling should be moist but not wet, cohesive enough to hold together when rolled.
The quality of your tuna determines everything. Italian tuna packed in olive oil has firm texture and clean flavor. The tuna packed in water that Americans use for sandwiches will not do. - 5
Roll the involtini
Lay a pepper strip on your work surface, inner side facing up. Place a generous tablespoon of filling at one end. Roll the pepper around the filling, tucking in the sides as you go to create a neat bundle. The pepper should wrap around the filling with a slight overlap. Place seam-side down in a shallow serving dish. Repeat with remaining strips and filling.
- 6
Dress and rest
Arrange the involtini in a single layer in a ceramic or glass dish. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably overnight. The flavors need time to marry. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to take the chill off. Finish with a final drizzle of oil and a scattering of flaky salt.
Chef Tips
- •Use a mix of red and yellow peppers for visual interest. Green peppers are too bitter for this preparation. The sweetness of fully ripened peppers is essential.
- •Do not be tempted to add garlic to the filling. The anchovy provides all the pungent depth this dish needs. Additional garlic would overwhelm the delicate sweetness of the roasted peppers.
- •These keep beautifully for three days in the refrigerator, improving with each passing day. By the second day, the oil will have taken on the flavor of the peppers, and this flavored oil is a treasure. Drizzle it over bread.
- •Serve at cool room temperature, never cold from the refrigerator. Cold dulls flavor. Allow at least 30 minutes after removing from the refrigerator before serving.
Advance Preparation
- •The involtini must be made at least 4 hours ahead, preferably overnight. This is not optional. The flavors require time to meld.
- •They keep for 3 days refrigerated, improving steadily. By the third day, you may prefer them to the first.
- •Roasted peppers can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in olive oil, then filled when ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 150g)
Calories
340 calories
Total Fat
24 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
20 mg
Sodium
450 mg
Total Carbohydrates
14 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
17 g
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