Roasted peppers stuffed with aubergine, olives and capers

recipe

Roasted peppers stuffed with aubergine, olives and capers

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The volcanic island of Ischia lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, and it is from here that these exquisite stuffed peppers come. The peppers are char-grilled first, then their skins peeled off and the insides removed. This enhances their sweetness, so that they almost melt in your mouth and contrast beautifully with the textures and flavours of the piquant stuffing

Ingredients

6 red peppers
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) aubergines, cut into 1-cm (1/2-in) dice
olive oil for cooking
6 slices of good-quality stale bread such as ciabatta or pane casalingua, cut into 1-cm (1/2-in) dice
85 g (3 oz) olives, pitted and halved
75 g (21/2 oz) salted capers, rinsed and squeezed dry
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 salted anchovy fillets, chopped handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves: 6

Directions

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Preheat the oven to (/Gas . Char the peppers over an open flame or under a hot grill until their skins are blistered and blackened in places. Carefully peel off the skin and discard. (Use rubber gloves if the peppers are too hot to handle, and if you like you can put them in a plastic bag for a short time after charring, to help make the skins easier to remove.)
Carefully remove and discard the stem, central membrane and seeds, taking care to keep the peppers whole.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the aubergines and saute for a few minutes until starting to brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, and drain on kitchen paper while you cook the bread. Using the same pan, gently fry the bread cubes until golden, adding a little extra oil if necessary.
Remove the croutons from the pan and carefully mix with the aubergines, olives, capers, garlic, anchovies and parsley to make a stuffing. Season with salt and black pepper. Using a spoon, fill the peppers with the stuffing until they are nice and plump, and the stuffing is slightly mounded at the top. Arrange in a baking tin or dish, drizzle with extra olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for ? minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Source: Cucina Napoletana, published by New Holland