I was taught to make this braised capsicum dish by a boyfriend’s Neapolitan mother many years ago, and it’s still one of my favourites. Peperoni in padella simply means ‘peppers in the pan’ and the result is quite different to roasting a capsicum in the oven. The capsicum juices blend with the oil and garlic during the slow cooking to make a delicious sauce that’s a big part of this dish’s appeal. The skin remains on the strips of capsicum, so when you plate them discard any that have slipped off, the remainder can be eaten or peeled off by each diner. Use red or yellow capsicums, or a mixture, but not unripe green ones as they have astringent herbal notes rather than sweet ripe capsicum flavour. Keeping it southern Italian, I like a glass of crisp white wine made from the Sicilian grape inzolia with these peperoni in padella. Tempus Two in the Hunter Valley makes a cracker called Copper Ansonica, ansonica being the Tuscan name for inzolia.
Serves 4 or more as part of an antipasti misti
Share page on:
