Oven-roasted stuffed banana peppers (Peveroni ripieni)

Narrow banana peppers are stuffed with mince, rice and spices, then cooked and served in a rich sauce made with roasted capsicum – dramatically red and just delicious.

Oven-roasted stuffed banana peppers (Peveroni ripieni) Credit: Paola Bacchia

• makes

  8

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  1:35 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

"Growing up in Australia, while many of my friends might buy lunch or bring white sliced bread sandwiches when they went to the beach, my mother would send me off with a very European packed lunch: if it wasn't a crusty pasta dura bread roll with mortadella and emmental, it would be a stuffed pepper, a generous handful of cherries or plums, and a few slices of ricotta cake to share."

Ingredients

• 8 red banana peppers
• 200 g minced pork
• 200 g minced beef
• 50 g (¼ cup) short-grain or medium-grain rice
• 1 small brown onion, grated
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, crushed
• ¼ tsp hot smoked paprika
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 150 ml Roasted pepper sauce (recipe below)

Roasted pepper sauce (Salsa di peperoni arrosti)

Makes just under 300 ml

• 1 large red capsicum
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 400 ml tomato passata
• chilli flakes, to taste
• sea salt
• 2–3 tsp red wine vinegar

Resting time: 10 minutes

Cooling time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. To make the roasted pepper sauce, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2. Place the capsicum on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes. The capsicum skin should be charred and have softened, and may have released some liquid.
3. Carefully place the capsicum in a heatproof bowl and cover with an upturned plate. After about 10 minutes, you should be able to peel off the skin and remove seeds and core of the capsicum. Do not rinse the flesh under water, just roughly chop.
4. Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic. Cook until fragrant, then add the roasted capsicum, passata, a good pinch of chilli flakes and 125 ml (½ cup) of water (especially if the passata is store-bought, as it is usually thicker than home-made versions). Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Leave to cool, then process with a hand-held blender. Season to taste with salt, then stir in the vinegar. 
6. To make the stuffed peppers, remove the tops of the peppers and scrape out the seeds and spines using a long-handled small spoon. Rinse and leave to dry upside down.
7. Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced).
8. Place the remaining ingredients, except the roasted pepper sauce, in a bowl and mix well using a spoon or your hands. Stuff the mixture into the peppers, a little bit at a time. Do not overfill, as the rice will swell during cooking.
9. In a roasting tin that is large enough to fit all the peppers in a single layer, smear a layer of the roasted pepper sauce. Lay the filled peppers on top, then cover with the rest of the sauce and 60 ml (¼ cup) of water. Cover with the foil.
10. Roast for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to roast for at least another 45 minutes, or until the peppers are nicely roasted and cooked through when pierced with a fork. (I turn the peppers over a few times while they are roasting uncovered, so that their skin colours evenly.)
11. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. There should be quite a bit of sauce in the bottom of the tin to spoon over the peppers.
12. Serve with creamy polenta, smashed potatoes with onion and olive oil or crusty bread.

Note

• The roasted pepper sauce will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for about 1 week.

Istria: Recipes and stories from the hidden heart of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia by Paola Bacchia, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $55.00). Photography by Paola Bacchia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

"Growing up in Australia, while many of my friends might buy lunch or bring white sliced bread sandwiches when they went to the beach, my mother would send me off with a very European packed lunch: if it wasn't a crusty pasta dura bread roll with mortadella and emmental, it would be a stuffed pepper, a generous handful of cherries or plums, and a few slices of ricotta cake to share."