Stuffed Italian Pepper Recipe | Peperoni Ripieni alla Eva

This stuffed bell pepper recipe, while inspired by a classic Neapolitan dish, is one of Eva’s excellent inventions that has become a go-to staple in our kitchen. The filling combines the flavors of an eggplant parmigiana with toasted bread for an extraordinary balance of flavor and texture. It’s easy to scale up the recipe to make as many peppers as you like and—believe us—each pepper is practically a complete meal.

Stuffed Italian Pepper Recipe | Peperoni Ripieni alla Eva

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PEPERONI RIPIENI ALLA EVA RECIPE

Makes: 2 peppers

Cook Time: 90 minutes

For this recipe, you will need:

• 2 large bell peppers

• ½ large eggplant, cubed

• Oil for frying (preferably extra-virgin olive oil)

• Salt

• ~25 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

• 1 clove garlic, peeled

• 2 anchovies under oil

• 2 tablespoons (10 g) capers

• ~10 Kalamata olive, pitted and chopped

• 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves, torn

• 1 large slice homemade-style bread, cubed

• 3.5 ounces (100 g) mozzarella cheese, chopped

• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, to taste

• Tomato puree (enough to fill your baking dish with about ½ inch or 1.25 cm)

• Fresh black pepper

Preheat the oven to 380° F (200° C). Slice the tops off the peppers, scoop out and discard the seeds and piths, replace the tops and arrange the peppers upright on a baking sheet. Bake the peppers for 20 minutes, or until they become slightly tender and begin to wrinkle.

While the peppers bake, you can begin preparing the stuffing. Fill a deep pan with about 2 inches (5 cm) of frying oil and heat to medium/high temperature. Working in batches, if necessary, carefully drop in the cubed eggplant and fry, stirring frequently, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel to drain. Lightly salt the fried eggplant.

In a large clean pan, heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil and the peeled garlic clove over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle them with salt. Sauté the tomatoes until they are slightly tender and have released plenty of juice.

Add the fried eggplant, anchovies, capers, olives and basil into the tomatoes. Stir all together over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes and salt to taste (keep in mind that the anchovies and capers are naturally salty). Remove and discard the garlic clove, turn off the heat and let the stuffing cool while you toast the bread.

Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil in another pan. Add the cubed bread and toast, stirring often, until the bread is slightly browned and crispy on all sides.

Add the bread into the tomato and eggplant pan, along with the mozzarella, a generous grating of Parmigiano cheese, and an extra drizzle of olive oil. Stir all together.

Fill a small, deep baking dish (ideally just big enough to hold the peppers upright, but not much larger) with ½ inch (1.25 cm) of tomato puree. Stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper.

Lightly salt the inside of each pepper and rub a little bit of olive oil inside and out (don’t forget the pepper tops). Fill the peppers completely with the stuffing and place them, upright, in the baking dish. Top the stuffing with an extra grating of Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil. Replace the pepper tops, cover with dish with aluminum foil, and bake at 380° F (200° C) for 20 minutes.

Remove the aluminum foil, baste the peppers with the tomato sauce from the bottom of the dish, and bake for a further 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Buon appetito!