If you pass through the Gargano, you can be certain that sooner or later you will be served this dish. We serve it as a starter, a main course and a side dish. Personally I prefer it the next day -- when it has absorbed all the flavours. On bruschetta with the marinade oil, I go absolutely wild for it.
My mother, my father Michele and the Gargano
My mother always prepared this for us -- but especially for my father Michele, who like me was crazy about this recipe. It is a typical dish of our territory, and I challenge anyone who has never come across this dish on a table in the Gargano.
Every time I have the chance to prepare it, I immediately feel my sense of belonging to this unique territory -- a mix of hills, forests and enchanting beaches. Although I have lived away from it for 36 years, I cannot detach myself from my roots.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 4 large peppers -- yellow, green and red
- 1 generous glass of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 generous bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (tied with twine)
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed with the palm of the hand
- 7-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- Fine salt to taste
- Pugliese bread for bruschetta
Method
Prepare the marinade
Before even putting the peppers in the oven, prepare the marinade container. Pour in the glass of extra virgin olive oil, add the 3 crushed garlic cloves and immerse the bunch of parsley tied with twine -- this technique will allow you to remove it easily once marinating is done. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and mix well so the flavours bloom in the oil. Cover with cling film and set aside.
Grill the peppers in the oven
Wash and dry the peppers well. Arrange them whole on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Roast at 220 degrees fan-assisted with the top grill on. Leave them until the skin starts to burn and blacken on one side -- the peppers will collapse slightly on themselves, a sign they are ready. Turn them and repeat on the other side.
Peel the peppers
Using kitchen tongs, take each pepper while still hot and peel off the burnt skin. It will come away easily. Alternatively you can place them in a sealed plastic bag for 10 minutes -- the steam inside will make the skin even easier to remove. It is not mission impossible -- with a little practice it becomes very quick.
Slice and add to the marinade
On a chopping board, open each pepper, remove the seeds and white membranes, and cut the flesh into long strips. As you add the strips to the marinade container, season with fine salt in layers and mix well. Continue until all the peppers are used up.
Marinate and serve
Cover the container and leave to rest for at least 1 hour before serving. If you can, prepare them the evening before -- the next day the flavours blend and intensify in an extraordinary way. Toast slices of Pugliese bread and dress them with the aromatic marinade oil. Try them both on the day and the day after -- and decide which you prefer.
"You can take a Pugliese out of Puglia
but you can never take Puglia out of a Pugliese."
My tips
- Use peppers of three different colours -- yellow, green and red -- both for flavour and for the beauty of the dish.
- The parsley bunch tied with twine is the right technique -- you remove it when serving and the fragrance stays in the oil.
- The marinade oil is precious -- use it to dress bruschetta, a salad or a meat dish.
- The next day they are noticeably better -- if you can wait, it is absolutely worth it.
- They can also be grilled directly on the barbecue over the hot coals -- the heat of the fire makes the skin come off easily.
- Use them as a starter, side dish or dressing for bruschetta. Incredibly versatile.
Leave a comment
Did you try this recipe? Do you have a memory, a variation or a question? Write to me -- I read everything and reply personally.