Spicy Peppers or Stuffed Pappacelle.
From my dear South, here is a delightful appetizer for you. Messina overlooks its Strait, and in front we have Calabria, where we exchange cultures and culinary traditions, such as preparing swordfish, or olives in brine and in this case, pappacelle, little culinary gems.
Every family has its recipe, so you might find different fillings depending on the origin. In my case, being a bit Aeolian, my grandmother’s recipe included wild fennel, and a salt treatment that preceded everything to reduce the spiciness, which the Calabrians are used to.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4 jars of 8.5 oz
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Calabria
- Seasonality: Summer, Summer, Fall
- Energy 36.65 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 0.77 (g) of which sugars 0.43 (g)
- Proteins 1.47 (g)
- Fat 3.19 (g) of which saturated 0.33 (g)of which unsaturated 2.59 (g)
- Fibers 0.25 (g)
- Sodium 25.79 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 1 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s go shopping
- 1 lb round spicy peppers
- 0.7 oz capers in salt (soaked)
- 7 oz tuna in oil (drained)
- 1.06 oz pine nuts
- 2.11 cups sunflower oil (approximately)
- 1.06 oz pine nuts
- 1.06 oz wild fennel
- 1.1 lb salt
- 8.5 oz white wine vinegar
- 8.5 oz white wine
Spicy Peppers or Stuffed Pappacelle
Tools
What we need to make the
- Colander
- Pot
- 2 Trays
- 3 Jars
- Gloves
- Melon Baller
Preparation: Spicy Peppers or Stuffed Pappacelle
To prepare the peppers start with the cleaning. Wear disposable gloves, if not, be very careful not to rub your eyes and start by rinsing the peppers.
Then dry them and remove the upper part where the stem is.
Then, using a melon baller, carefully remove the seeds, being careful not to pierce the pepper.
To remove much of the spiciness, I recommend filling the peppers one by one with salt and leaving them like this for 6 hours. Then rinse them and place them upside down on a tray with paper towels.
If you want them very spicy, skip this step.
Meanwhile, pour white wine and vinegar into a small pan, adjust the salt, and as soon as it boils, turn off the heat and immerse the peppers, leaving them in the mixture until they have cooled.
Drain the peppers on a dry cloth, place them with the opening facing down, and let them drain for another 4 hours, or overnight.
Meanwhile, sterilize the jars.
In a blender, chop the tuna, pine nuts, pitted green olives, wild fennel, and previously soaked capers, and blend until you create a smooth and homogeneous cream.
Now you can fill them in 2 ways, either with patience and a teaspoon one by one or fill a piping bag.
Once they are all ready, gently place them in a sterilized glass jar, leaving some space from the thread of the jar. Now you can fill them with sunflower oil up to 0.4 inches from the edge.
Wait a few hours before closing them definitively so that any air bubbles rising do not leave the product uncovered, which would otherwise spoil, and if necessary, add more oil.
Close with the lid, and let’s move on to boiling
Take a rather large pot, and place one or more towels at the bottom, place the jars spacing them apart with other towels, so that they do not hit each other while boiling.
From the moment it starts boiling, count 30 minutes.
After the time has passed, leave the jars in the pot until they are lukewarm, then take them out and let them cool before storing them in the pantry.
Here are the Spicy Peppers or Stuffed Pappacelle ready
storage and advice
Spicy Peppers or Stuffed Pappacelle
It is extremely recommended to check the vacuum seal by pressing the center of the lid. If it does not make any “click-clack” sound, the vacuum seal has been successful. Otherwise, it is advised not to consume.
When sealed, the jars can be stored for about 6 months. Once opened, it is advisable to consume them as soon as possible (2-3 days maximum), keeping them refrigerated to prolong their shelf life.
ATTENTION
NOTE: Some food preservation methods for long periods, like in this case, require precise precautions to prevent the development of harmful bacteria to our health. Please, when deciding to prepare these kinds of recipes, ensure that all procedures and correct preparation methods are followed.
