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ITALIAN RECIPES

Hot And Not Sure What To Serve?

Neapolitan Stuffed Pepper

Ingredients:

12 large peppers
1 1/4 pounds eggplant
2 ounces (7 tablespoons) salted or pickled capers, rinsed -- salted will be better, if you can find them
1/4 pound pitted sweet black olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 pound salted anchovies (canned if need be), rinsed, boned, and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 clove garlic, whole
Oregano to taste
1 small bunch parsley, minced
12 heaping tablespoons bread crumbs
3/4 cup olive oil
2 plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
A pot of olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper, if needed

Preparation:

Prepare the peppers by cutting around the stems, shaking out the seeds, washing them, and patting them dry.
Next, broil them, turning them every few minutes, to blister the skins, and gently rub the skin off with a towel, taking care not to pierce the peppers.
If you would rather leave the skins on you can, increasing the baking time given below to an hour.

Peel and dice the eggplant, fry the pieces in abundant hot oil, and drain them well on absorbent paper.
Next, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet with the whole clove of garlic. When the garlic has browned, remove and discard it, and brown the bread crumbs.

When the crumbs have browned, stir in the olives, tomatoes, capers, parsley, oregano, minced garlic and ground black pepper to taste. Cook over an extremely low flame for a few minutes, stirring gently, then stir in the minced anchovies and the eggplant.
Taste the mixture and add salt if need be.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (180 C).

Divide the mixture into 12 parts and fill the peppers. Put the peppers in a well-oiled ovenproof dish, sprinkle them with oil to taste (I'd go with a quarter cup or so) and roast them for 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour.
They're wonderful served cold, and even better the next day. They'll go very well as a one-course meal with a chilled fruity white wine, for example Vernaccia, Fiano or Vermentino, and a salad. Or you can serve them as a second course, again with white wine.
Serves 6.

Peppers Stuffed with Pasta

Ingredients:

12 large bell peppers
1 1/4 pounds short pasta (tubular or spiraling will be best)
Olive oil for frying
2 cloves garlic
5 plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped
3/4 cup salted or pickled capers, well rinsed
1/4 pound pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 pound salted anchovies (visit a delicatessen for these, or use canned
anchovy filets packed in oil if you cannot find them). In any case, wash, bone, and mince them.
Oregano to taste
A large bunch parsley, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: 2 cups melanzane a funghetto (stewed eggplant)

Preparation:

Prepare the peppers by cutting around the stems, shaking out the seeds, washing them, and patting them dry. Next, broil them to blister the skins (you can frying them 2-3 at a time in hot oil to blister the skins), and gently rub the skin off with a towel, taking care not to pierce the peppers.

If you would rather leave the skins on you can, increasing the baking time given below to an hour.
Sauté the two cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil, removing and discarding them when they have browned. Stir the tomatoes into the pot and simmer them for 15 minutes, then add the olives and capers, lower the flame, and cook for five minutes more.

After removing the pot from the fire, stir in the anchovies, oregano, parsley and pepper.
Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until it's somewhat al dente, drain it, and season it with the sauce. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (180 C).
Divide the filling mixture into 12 parts and fill the peppers. Put the peppers in a well-oiled ovenproof dish, sprinkle them with oil to taste (I'd go with a quarter cup or so) and roast them for 30-45 minutes (or an hour if you choose not to peel the peppers).

They're wonderful served cold, and even better the next day.
They'll go very well as a one-course meal with a chilled fruity white wine, for example, Vernaccia, Fiano or Vermentino, and a salad. Or you can serve them as a second course, again with white wine.
Serves 6.

Zucchini with Meat Stuffing

Ingredients:

6 zucchini of the same size, weighing about 1 3/4 pounds (800 g) in all
1/4 pound (100 g) ground beef
1/4 pound (100 g) fresh mild Italian sausage, peeled and crumbled
A couple ounces of day old bread, crusts removed and crumbled (3/4 cup not packed)
4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
An egg
1 clove garlic
A medium-sized onion
A small bunch parsley
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 a bouillon cube
Fresh thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in 1/4 cup water or broth

Preparation:

Moisten the bread in cold water. Salt some water in a large pot and bring it to a boil.
While it's heating cut the zucchini in half and scoop out the pulp. Mince the pulp with the onion, garlic and parsley, and sauté the mixture in the butter and oil until it is lightly browned, then crumble the bouillon over it and transfer it to a bowl.

Squeeze the bread dry and combine it, the egg, the cheese, and the meats with the vegetable mixture. Mix well and season the stuffing to taste with salt, pepper and thyme.
By now the water in the pot will be boiling; add the zucchini and cook them for 5 minutes from the time the water resumes boiling. Then remove them and set them upside down so they drain as they cool. Preheat your oven to 380 F (190 C).

Fill the zucchini with the stuffing, pressing it down firmly. Arrange the zucchini in a buttered pan, brush them with the tomato mixture, and bake them for 25 minutes, basting regularly with the pan drippings. If they appear to be overbrowning, cover them with some aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes. Serve at once.

The wine? I'd go with a light red, for example an Aglianico d'annata (not the riserva), or a fresh, fruity unoaked Barbera.
Serves 6.

Buon appetito!

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