Calabrian meat-stuffed peppers cooked in a pot without frying, an old family recipe that I borrowed from my mom and made even more delicious with a small tweak at the end of cooking. Occasionally, I like to pull out old family recipes from my memory diary and get lost in the past, but then the aroma brings me back to the present, and that aroma of peppers cooking brings back so many emotions, so much nostalgia from those times when there were four women at home: my elderly and sick grandmother, my mom, my sister, and I. I was the one who went to the garden to gather what was needed for the recipe, while my sister prepared the mixture for the Calabrian meatballs, made with few simple but genuine ingredients, including freshly picked parsley from the garden and homemade pecorino, irreplaceable, made by my mom thanks to my dad’s work who would milk the sheep early in the morning.
My mom always used a drizzle of olive oil usually, but since I discovered that a pat of butter makes them special, she converted too, even though we rarely use butter, but occasionally it’s really nice in some dishes, and in the stuffed peppers, it is divine.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients for 4 Stuffed Peppers
- 4 bull's horn peppers
- 7 oz ground beef
- 1 slice stale bread
- 2 eggs
- to taste parsley
- to taste pecorino cheese
- to taste parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste butter
- 1 cup water
Tools for Preparing Meat-Stuffed Peppers
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
Steps for Preparing Calabrian Stuffed Peppers on the Stovetop
Prepare the meatball mixture in a bowl by combining the meat, stale bread soaked in cold water and well-squeezed, finely chopped garlic and parsley, salt, grated parmesan and pecorino, black pepper to taste, and finally one or two eggs. Mix everything to get a nice homogeneous mixture.
Wash the peppers, remove the top, and empty out the seeds and white parts inside.
Lightly salt the inside of the peppers, then stuff them with the meatball mixture, pushing it inside all the way to the tip. Leave a little space at the end because the mixture will expand in volume during cooking.
Cook the peppers in a pot or a thick-bottomed skillet. We don’t use oil, but cook with a cup of water over low heat with a lid. If desired, you can add a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt to the pot. Cook for about 15 minutes with a lid, then turn the peppers and continue for another 15 minutes. Make sure there’s still some liquid in the pot.
In the last minutes of cooking, add a piece of butter to the pot and let it melt; in the meantime, completely evaporate the cooking water. If necessary, increase the heat. Serve when they are completely dry. Excellent hot or cold, sliced, perfect for an appetizer.
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FAQ
Can they be cooked differently?
Stuffed peppers can also be fried in plenty of oil, or baked in a hot oven at 392°F for about 20-25 minutes, or they can be cooked in an air fryer at 356°F for about 15 minutes, turning them halfway through.
