Capsicum stuffed with tomatoes

"an Italian idea that has been put into words well by Elizabeth David, Simon Hopkinson and Nigel Slater among many others. And no wonder – it is such a good idea" Rachel Roddy

I spent another happy almost hour with Nigel today, checking out his book Tender volume 1 for my lunch party on Sunday. If you remember I had forgotten to check this volume out. And of course there were heaps of other possibilities in addition to what I wrote about the other day, but I think I will still stick to my first choices.

However, as I browsed I came across this dish of Baked peppers for summer lunch - an obvious variation on the dish that Delia made famous - and really what this particular post is going to be about.

This version however, is slightly simpler - the kind of dish that makes me very cross when people say they can't cook. I mean even Nigel has some rather burnt peppers in there.

This particular recipe is not online but let me tell you how to do it. Turn your oven on to 200ºC (I think that's not a fan temperature). Cut your peppers (red or yellow - not green) in half lengthways - retaining the stalk, but discarding the seeds, and the white core. Put them in an oiled roasting tin and fill with halved cherry tomatoes, which have been seasoned with salt and pepper cut-side up (or chopped larger ones). Pour over a little olive oil and bake until everything is soft - about 45 minutes to an hour. Blitz a couple of handfuls of basil leaves with about 70ml olive oil and pour into the peppers. Done. Now how hard is that? I decided against it because peppers are so ridiculously expensive these days - but my chosen starter of his baked tomatoes with an anchovy and breadcrumb topping will be able to utilise Coles' heritage tomatoes - also expensive I suppose but on a special at the moment. Similar flavours though. Nigel finished my chosen recipe with a one word description - Provence.

One of the cooks I encountered on this small ramble - Frank Fariello of Memorie di Angelina attaches these words to his recipe for Peperoni alla piemontese, which, as you can see below on the left, are not quite the same thing as what we have now come to accept as a dish with this name:

"I find it a source of endless fascination that Italian cookery can take essentially the same list of ingredients and, by varying technique and measurements, come up with such variety."

Which as we always see, is so true. And true of cooks everywhere I might say. He also talks about a related dish Peperoni con alici (with anchovies), that I will come to. As you can see these are more stewed than baked, and are definitely not halved. Moreover tomatoes are not involved. They are also served cold, although, our Delia/Elizabeth David ones can also be served cold. Indeed Nigel heartily recommends this elsewhere.

Now I have my doubts about AI but I have to say that in this case the AI response to my question as to whether the dish we probably all know is really from Piedmont, was perhaps the most comprehensive. Mind you the AI summary probably got it from Lindsey Bareham who said:

"It dates back to Elizabeth David’s Italian Food, first published in 1954 and still in print, but the dish was popularised by Delia in her TV series and book Summer Collection. It became known as Delia’s peppers but it was Franco Taruschio who put the dish on his opening menu at The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny in 1963 we should really thank. That’s where Simon Hopkinson first tasted it and included the simple but stunning dish on Bibendum’s opening menu in 1987 where it was enjoyed repeatedly by Delia, amongst others, and Elizabeth David."

AI did however, add the various different Piedmontese dishes with anchovies, stuffed with more complex stuffings, and also the debate about tomatoes - not in Piedmont it seems.

And so Elizabeth David gave us the recipe in Italian Food - later republished, with a photograph shown here on the left in At Elizabeth David's Table. Simon Hopkinson's baked red peppers as published on the Mustard with Mutton website, adds a couple of whole anchovy fillets at the end. Delia and Elizabeth were rather more discreet with the anchovies; and later Delia sort of reproduced Elizabeth's recipe with her Piedmont roasted peppers in Delia's Summer Collection and got us all making it. Well lots of us anyway. Elizabeth and Delia's recipes vary slightly. Delia peels her tomatoes before adding them to the peppers, and she doesn't include butter. Elizabeth adds a dab of butter. But otherwise they are the same - as you can see. Left to right - Elizabeth, Simon, Delia.

Rachel Roddy who does live in Italy, although not in Piedmont is similar to Nigel in that the tomatoes star - for her Peperoni alla piemontese the anchovies are an optional extra - well anchovies are one of those love them or hate them things - and the star is the garlicky, tomatoey juices:

"The last half – wallowing in its puddle with the same appreciation my son has for his – tastes the best, especially squashed on a piece of toast with a fried egg on top."

Nigel and others use leftovers in all sorts of other ways - in salads, sandwiches, tarts, pasta ... Or they just scoff them as they are for lunch.

But this is 2025 not 1993 when Delia published her version and these days people like to experiment with this sort of thing. And Nigel has certainly done that - he has three more variations - and they are variations of the basic concept. He's just added different things. Well he does begin with a 'classic' version - Peperoni alla piemontese - very charred version this one; moves to adding some feta - Baked peppers with tomatoes and feta (which lots of other people do too), and then has another go - Baked peppers, tofu, tomatoes: of which, he says:

"This recipe started out with feta in place of the tofu, but I wanted something softer and less salty, and anyway, we eat more than enough cheese in this house."

delicous. in the UK added artichokes instead of the feta for their Piedmontese-style peppers, a blogger called Meike Petas, stuffed her peppers the other way - cap removed and stood upright - for her Feta and tomato stuffed bell peppers with mint and Dorie Greenspan on the website She Paused 4 Thought put a herby, cheesey breadcrumb mixture underneath the tomatoes instead of on top for Oven-charred tomato-stuffed peppers

I really do wonder whether the 'real' stuffed Piedmontese peppers are focussed on the anchovies however, because - not only did the Memorie di Angelina guy exclude the tomatoes, but when I checked my Italy the Beautiful Cookbook, the only version there was just anchovies - plus a few capers, some garlic and some oregano. No recipe online - but, like virtually all of them it's hardly a recipe although interestingly it tells us to roast the peppers, then slice them into strips and dress with the roughly chopped anchovies, capers, garlic and oregano. However the picture implies, no slices, and that possibly the anchovies and other things were cooked with the peppers. A little mysterious. And finally I found Peperoni all'Aciugga -from Valeria Necchio/Great Italian Chefs who roasts and peels her peppers, cuts them in half, and then dresses them with a salsa verde which includes parsley, garlic, capers, bread and vinegar, with the whole thing being topped with some anchovy fillets. Looks classy.

Summer is coming and the peppers should be coming down in price so go for it. Make up your own version - a different cheese, a different vegetable or just stick to one of the 'originals'. I think next time I do this - and I do make them from time to time, I might try my 'starter' recipe from Nigel. Get your children or grandchildren to have a go - it's that simple.

YEARS GONE BY

December 12

2024 - OK let's do America - sort of

2023 - Nothing

2022 - Nothing

2021 - Nothing

2020 - Missing

2019 - Fried eggs - a quickie

2018 - Semifreddo

2017 - Nothing

2016 - Capers