R E C I P E S
Peperoni Ripieni con Tonno (Bell Peppers Stuffed with Tuna)
The forerunner of this antipasto from Piedmont in Italy was probably peppers with anchovy sauce; both are still made and are excellent. The tuna in question is canned, and it’s important to avoid bluefin and any other threatened species (see Seafood Watch at montereybayaquarium.org) and to use a better-quality brand than the usual North American ones, which taste slightly fishy at best. Two good European brands, though not inexpensive, are Flot and Ortiz, both of which put up tuna in jars as well as cans. To fill the peppers, most piemontese restaurants quickly reduce the tuna to a paste in a food processor, which makes the texture dry, even sandy. It’s much better to work with your hands.By Edward Behr
4 yellow or red bell peppers, preferably at the peak of their season
2 salted anchovies
12 ounces (350 gr) excellent imported canned tuna in oil
about ¼ cup (50 ml) excellent, fresh-tasting, mild olive oil, such as Ligurian
a lemon, for juice
salt and black pepper
Bake — don’t roast and scorch — the whole peppers in a 350° F (175° C) oven until tender, putting a little water in the pan, or cook them, halved and seeded, in boiling water: they can be soft but not flaccid and shapeless. Cool the peppers in a covered bowl. Peel them, and remove stems, seeds, and inner membranes.
Clean the anchovy filets of salt, strip them from the bones, and rinse them. Mash the anchovy to a paste with the back of a fork. Drain the tuna, and with your fingers break it up into a fine, even consistency. Mix in the anchovies and then enough olive oil so the mixture appears very moist. Squeeze in just a little lemon juice, grind in pepper, and season with more salt (the tuna is already salted) as needed to contrast with the sweet, unseasoned peppers. Fill either whole or half peppers with the mixture. Serves 4 as a first course.
From The Art of Eating Cookbook
