Neapolitan Bell Pepper Rolls (with mozzarella, cooked ham, and Emmental)
The recipe for these tasty and appetizing stuffed peppers is a classic of Neapolitan culinary tradition.
In Naples, they are called ‘i puparuoli ‘mbuttunati’, traditionally stuffed with humble ingredients, often leftover bread or other simple remnants.
An easy and practical recipe, as it can be prepared in advance, the peppers are not fried but baked.
Attention: the filling of the peppers must rest for 24 hours in the fridge to compact well.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10 peppers
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 305.28 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 13.40 (g) of which sugars 5.12 (g)
- Proteins 16.71 (g)
- Fat 20.33 (g) of which saturated 9.11 (g)of which unsaturated 5.06 (g)
- Fibers 2.59 (g)
- Sodium 465.06 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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
- 2.4 lbs Bell peppers (fleshy, of the magnum, costadoro, jolly variety, etc.)
- 1 1/4 cups Mozzarella (or fior di latte, diced)
- 5.3 oz Emmentaler (or smoked scamorza or caciocavallo, diced)
- 2.1 oz Cooked ham (preferably from Parma)
- 5.3 oz Rustic bread (stale crumb)
- 1.4 oz Grana Padano PDO (grated)
- 2 Eggs (about 100 g)
- to taste Basil (abundant)
- to taste Salt
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Breadcrumbs
Tools
- Bowl
- Knife
- Spoon
- Baking dish in irresistible glass
Preparation of Neapolitan Bell Pepper Rolls
Wash and roast the peppers, aiming for even cooking by turning them often, then sprinkle them with salt, let them cool, and then peel them; they must be very dry (I actually often buy them already roasted) and divide each into two parts, about 2-3 inches (otherwise the rolls become too large).
Soak the diced stale bread crumb with water or milk for 10 minutes, drain them well, and mix with the eggs, Emmental (or smoked scamorza) diced, cooked ham, mozzarella (or fior di latte) diced, grated Parmesan, basil, salt, and pepper.
Let the filling rest for a day in the refrigerator.
The next day, fill each part of the pepper with the prepared mixture (about 2 oz of mixture for each slice of pepper), roll them tightly and place them in a baking dish lightly greased with oil, sprinkled with breadcrumbs, grease the peppers with oiled hands and sprinkle them with abundant breadcrumbs, and finally, add another drizzle of oil. There should be no empty spaces in the dish between one pepper and another.
Bake the bell pepper rolls in a preheated oven at 320°F for about 30 minutes, then, once removed from the oven, let them settle for 10 minutes and then serve accompanied by white wine.
The famous Neapolitan restaurant ‘Mimì alla Ferrovia’, once cooked, puts them in the refrigerator to let them rest, and serves them even the next day at room temperature.
You can also freeze them once made and thaw them when needed.If you wish, you can also add diced fried eggplants to the filling.
These rolls are also good served cold, and once cooked, you can cut them into small pieces and also dress a long-shaped pasta (ideal are bucatini).
Notes and Tips
I confess that, lately, I buy canned roasted peppers (especially in winter) so I can prepare these rolls in a flash; however, here are some tips for peeling them practically and quickly :
Surely the most used method is to pass them over the stove flame: Pass the whole pepper over the lit flame of a stove holding it by the stem. To remove the skin best, it is advisable to sprinkle it with salt, close the still-hot pepper in a yellow or plastic food bag, wait 10 minutes, and then peel the skin from the pulp.
You can also use the microwave: Cut the peppers in half, remove seeds and filaments and microwave them at maximum power for about 3-4 minutes, then place them in a paper or plastic food bag, wait about 5/10 minutes and remove the skin from the pulp.
Another method you can use to peel peppers is the oven: Brush the whole peppers with olive oil and place them on a well-oiled baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 428°F and bake for up to 30 minutes. The skin will puff up and peel better once cooking is complete. Read here if you want to find other ways to easily peel peppers.
Shopping Tips !!!
Great baking dishes are these irresistible Pyrex glass dishes: 100% natural and hygienic material, ideal for baking up to 572°F. Resistant to thermal shocks, it can go directly from the freezer at -4°F to the oven at 464°F. You can find them on Amazon at a special price. #adv
Why are they called ‘puparuoli mbuttunati’?
‘Mbuttunato‘ in Naples means stuffed, so it means: stuffed peppers.
