Chef Graziella
Caponata Siciliana
The great sweet-sour eggplant dish of Sicily, where each vegetable is fried separately then united in a tomato sauce sharpened with vinegar and softened with a little sugar. This is not a recipe to rush.
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Peperoni Ripieni alla Napoletana
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The stuffed peppers of Naples, filled not with rice or meat but with seasoned breadcrumbs, olives, capers, and the dissolving richness of anchovy. Cucina povera that proves poverty breeds ingenuity.
Main Dishes
Italian, Neapolitan
Weeknight
Make Ahead
Budget Friendly
30 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield6 servings
Americans think they know stuffed peppers. They fill them with ground beef and rice and tomato sauce and call it comfort food. Neapolitans shake their heads at this. In Naples, peppers have been stuffed with breadcrumbs for generations, a dish born of necessity that became a dish of choice.
The filling tells the story of Southern Italian cooking: stale bread transformed, briny capers and olives adding punch, anchovies melting into the crumbs until you cannot identify them but would miss them terribly if they were gone. The pine nuts and raisins speak to the Arab influence that shaped Sicilian and Neapolitan cuisine, that love of sweet against savory that runs through so much of the South.
This is not a main course demanding attention at the center of the plate. These peppers appear on the antipasto table, at room temperature, alongside other vegetable preparations. They can begin a meal or be the meal itself with good bread and wine. What you keep out, the rice and meat that Americans insist upon, matters as much as what remains.
Stuffed vegetables belong to the cucina povera tradition that emerged from Southern Italian poverty, where cooks stretched expensive ingredients with bread and made vegetables the center of the meal. The Neapolitan version reflects the city's position as a trading port: capers from Pantelleria, olives from the surrounding hills, anchovies from the abundant Mediterranean catch, and the sweet-savory combinations that arrived with Arab traders centuries ago.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bell peppers
Quantity
6 medium (about 3 pounds)
mixed red and yellow
dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
2 cups
coarse, from day-old Italian bread
Gaeta or Kalamata olives
Quantity
1/2 cup
pitted and roughly chopped
capers
Quantity
3 tablespoons
rinsed if salt-packed, drained if brined
anchovy fillets
Quantity
6
minced to a paste
pine nuts
Quantity
2 tablespoons
golden raisins
Quantity
2 tablespoons
soaked in warm water and drained
garlic
Quantity
2 cloves
minced very fine
fresh flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
3 tablespoons
chopped
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/2 cup, divided
dried oregano
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bell peppersmixed red and yellow | 6 medium (about 3 pounds) |
| dry breadcrumbscoarse, from day-old Italian bread | 2 cups |
| Gaeta or Kalamata olivespitted and roughly chopped | 1/2 cup |
| capersrinsed if salt-packed, drained if brined | 3 tablespoons |
| anchovy filletsminced to a paste | 6 |
| pine nuts | 2 tablespoons |
| golden raisinssoaked in warm water and drained | 2 tablespoons |
| garlicminced very fine | 2 cloves |
| fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped | 3 tablespoons |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/2 cup, divided |
| dried oregano | 1/2 teaspoon |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| kosher salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •9x13 inch baking dish or similar
- •Large skillet for toasting breadcrumbs
- •Sharp knife
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the peppers
Cut the tops off the peppers and reserve them. Remove the seeds and white membranes from inside. Stand the peppers upright in a baking dish where they fit snugly, supporting each other. If a pepper will not stand, slice a thin piece from the bottom to create a flat base, but do not cut through to the cavity.
- 2
Toast the breadcrumbs
Heat three tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir constantly until they turn golden and smell toasted, about four minutes. Watch carefully. They go from golden to burnt in seconds. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly.
Proper breadcrumbs come from day-old bread with the crust removed, dried out and then grated or processed into coarse crumbs. The texture matters. Fine crumbs become paste. - 3
Build the filling
To the breadcrumbs, add the chopped olives, capers, anchovy paste, pine nuts, drained raisins, minced garlic, parsley, and oregano. Grind black pepper generously over the mixture. Drizzle in three tablespoons of olive oil and toss everything together with your hands. The mixture should hold together loosely when squeezed. Taste it. The anchovies and capers provide salt, so you may need none. Add a pinch only if necessary.
- 4
Stuff the peppers
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Fill each pepper with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing it down gently but not compacting it. The filling should mound slightly above the rim. Replace the pepper tops, setting them at a slight angle so steam can escape. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the peppers and into the baking dish.
- 5
Bake until tender
Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes. The peppers are done when they have collapsed slightly, their skins are wrinkled and beginning to char in spots, and a knife slides easily through the flesh. The filling should be golden brown where it peeks out.
Do not undercook. The peppers must be completely tender, almost silky. A firm pepper is a failure. The filling can handle the time; the peppers cannot handle being rushed. - 6
Rest and serve
Let the peppers rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. They are excellent warm, but tradition often calls for serving them at room temperature, where the flavors meld and deepen. Spoon any oil from the baking dish over the peppers before bringing them to the table.
Chef Tips
- •The anchovies disappear completely into the filling. Those who claim to dislike anchovies have eaten these peppers and praised them without knowing. Do not omit them, and do not tell your guests they are there.
- •Gaeta olives, small and purplish-black, are the traditional choice. Kalamata works adequately. Do not use canned California olives, which taste of nothing.
- •Salt-packed capers have superior flavor to brined. Rinse them well under cold water and pat dry. The extra step rewards you.
- •Serve these at room temperature for the fullest flavor. The Neapolitan way is to make them in the morning for the evening meal, or the day before for a gathering.
Advance Preparation
- •The filling can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before stuffing the peppers.
- •Stuffed peppers can be assembled up to six hours before baking. Cover and refrigerate, then add 10 minutes to the baking time.
- •Baked peppers keep well for two days refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving, or warm gently in a low oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 315g)
Calories
415 calories
Total Fat
24 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
21 g
Cholesterol
2 mg
Sodium
725 mg
Total Carbohydrates
44 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
11 g
Protein
9 g
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