Last week I bought about a pound and a half of Italian frying peppers at Wholefoods. Which, according to Fresh Direct, are also called Cubanelle Peppers. Who knew?
These peppers were just too good to pass up. One of the things I enjoy about Wholefoods is that most of their produce is certified organic. Generally this means the food tastes like it should. It also means that I could trust the bright green color and high gloss exterior to be natural and not chemically induced.
My mother used to cook these peppers all the time and I remember them more as a refrigerator staple than the common bell pepper. She would either fry them with a little olive oil in a covered frying pan and serve them whole as a side or, if she had a little more time, they would be roasted, sliced and tossed with roasted tomato, a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
I preferred the roasted method since it adds a charred flavor to the pepper that counters their natural sweetness. For me the "salad" was even better if it was served on a thick slice of toasted Italian bread.
Last night I was all alone since Joe was in Poughkeepsie spending time with his piano teacher and mentor, Blanca Uribe. Getting hungry, I started rumaging through the fridge, saw the peppers and decided to make this salad.
1 1/2 pounds Italian frying peppers
1 tomato sliced horizontally and seeded
1 garlic clove
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1. Roast peppers and tomato under broiler or over an open flame. Periodically rotate peppers and tomato halves so that they char and soften evenly.
2. When evenly chared, remove peppers and place in a plastic bag to sweat. The steam or "sweat" will make it easier to peel the now black skin from the pepper flesh. The tomato may take longer to roast and can be peeled without placing in plastic bag.
3. Slice peppers and tomatoes into thin strips. If you want a rustic salad you don't have to remove pepper seeds.
4. In a bowl, gently mix pepper, tomato, crushed garlic with a little olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold as a side to fish or meat.
Note: You could substitute bell peppers for the Italian frying peppers, using different colors for a better presentation. If I had one, I would have also added a chilli pepper to give the dish some spice.
Posted by dvenuto at February 23, 2003 10:36 PM