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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Peperoni Ripieni alla Calabrese
Created by
Sweet peppers from Calabria's sun-drenched hills, filled with the Mediterranean pantry's treasures and baked until the filling turns golden and the peppers yield to a fork.
Appetizers & Snacks
Italian, Calabrese
Potluck
Make Ahead
30 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr 5 min total
Yield6 servings (12 stuffed peppers)
Calabria sits at the toe of Italy's boot, a land of mountains and coastline where the sun beats down without mercy and the food reflects both the sea and the steep hillside gardens. These stuffed peppers are cucina povera at its most resourceful: small, round sweet peppers filled with pantry staples that every Calabrian household keeps on hand.
The filling requires no meat because it needs none. Tuna packed in olive oil provides richness. Capers, those small explosions of brine and funk, cut through the richness. Breadcrumbs bind everything together and turn golden in the oven. Some families add a few olives. Some add a whisper of anchovy. The pepper itself, baked until it collapses slightly and sweetens, becomes the vessel that holds it all.
These are antipasti, meant to be eaten at room temperature with your fingers or a small fork, passed around a table before the meal begins. They improve after resting for an hour, which makes them ideal for the host who does not wish to cook while guests are arriving.
Stuffed vegetables have been central to Calabrian cooking since at least the 18th century, when peasant cooks learned to stretch precious protein by combining it with breadcrumbs and baking it inside whatever the garden provided. The tuna-caper-breadcrumb filling reflects Calabria's position between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas, where preserved fish was currency among the poor long before refrigeration made fresh fish commonplace.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
small round sweet peppers
Quantity
12 (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Italian tuna packed in olive oil
Quantity
2 cans (5 ounces each)
drained, oil reserved
salt-packed capers
Quantity
3 tablespoons
rinsed thoroughly and chopped
fine dried breadcrumbs
Quantity
1 cup
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
garlic clove
Quantity
1
minced very fine
Calabrian peperoncino flakes
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon, or to taste
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/4 cup, plus more for drizzling
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| small round sweet peppers | 12 (about 1 1/2 pounds) |
| Italian tuna packed in olive oildrained, oil reserved | 2 cans (5 ounces each) |
| salt-packed capersrinsed thoroughly and chopped | 3 tablespoons |
| fine dried breadcrumbs | 1 cup |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
| garlic cloveminced very fine | 1 |
| Calabrian peperoncino flakes | 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/4 cup, plus more for drizzling |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| kosher salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Small spoon for hollowing peppers
- •Baking dish that holds peppers snugly upright
- •Mixing bowl
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the peppers
Wash the peppers and dry them thoroughly. Slice off the tops, cutting just below the stem to create a lid. Reserve these tops. Using a small spoon or your fingers, remove the seeds and membranes from inside each pepper. Be thorough but gentle. The walls should remain intact. If a pepper has a thin spot or tear, set it aside for another use.
- 2
Make the filling
In a bowl, flake the drained tuna with a fork until no large chunks remain. Add the chopped capers, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, and peperoncino. Mix with the fork. Add the reserved tuna oil and half of the olive oil. The mixture should be moist enough to hold together when pressed, not wet or dry. Taste for salt. The capers are salty. You may need little or none. Add black pepper generously.
Italian tuna packed in olive oil has a different character than the water-packed variety Americans know. It is richer, softer, and worth seeking out. Do not substitute chunk light tuna in water. - 3
Stuff the peppers
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a small spoon, fill each pepper with the tuna mixture, packing it gently but firmly. The filling should reach just below the rim. Do not overstuff. Place the reserved tops back on the peppers like little hats. They will not seal, but they protect the filling and look appealing.
- 4
Arrange for baking
Oil a baking dish just large enough to hold the peppers standing upright. They should fit snugly, supporting each other. If your peppers will not stand, slice a thin piece from the bottom of each to create a flat surface, being careful not to puncture through to the cavity. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the peppers.
- 5
Bake until tender
Bake uncovered until the peppers are soft and slightly collapsed, the skin beginning to wrinkle, and the filling visible through the gaps is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. The kitchen will smell of sweet peppers and toasted breadcrumbs. A knife inserted into a pepper should meet no resistance.
If the tops begin to darken too quickly, cover the dish loosely with foil for the final 10 minutes. The peppers must cook through completely. - 6
Rest and serve
Remove from the oven and let the peppers rest in the dish for at least 15 minutes. They are good warm but better at room temperature, when the flavors have settled and the filling has firmed slightly. Drizzle with a little fresh olive oil before serving. These are eaten with the hands or a small fork, as the first bites of a meal.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out small, round sweet peppers sometimes labeled as cherry peppers or mini bells. They should be about the size of a small fist. Friggitelli or cubanelle peppers can be substituted, though you will need to lay them on their sides.
- •Salt-packed capers, rinsed well, have superior flavor to those packed in brine. If using brined capers, rinse them anyway and reduce any added salt.
- •The single clove of garlic should be minced so fine it nearly dissolves into the filling. This is the only acceptable way to use garlic here. If you cannot mince it properly, omit it. A garlic press is not the solution.
- •Calabrian peperoncino, the small dried chiles of the region, provide a fruity heat distinct from generic red pepper flakes. A little goes far. Taste the filling before stuffing and adjust.
Advance Preparation
- •The peppers can be stuffed up to 6 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking, or add 5 minutes to the baking time.
- •Baked peppers keep, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. They do not require reheating.
- •The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. The flavors improve overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
320 calories
Total Fat
19 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
15 g
Cholesterol
25 mg
Sodium
440 mg
Total Carbohydrates
20 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
17 g
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