Friggitelli peppers are small, slender, mild flavoured southern Italian peppers which are great for frying.
They can be just fried adding a fair amount of salt on top which is the way I usually serve them. But this time I wanted something a little different so I made them southern Italian style with tomato sauce.
prep time 10 min cook time 15-20 min
ingredients for 4-5
- 500g friggitelli peppers
- 200g cherry tomatoes
- 200g (small can) crushed tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- peperoncino optional
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil
- peanut oil for frying
1. Wash and dry well the peppers one by one. The authentic way to cook these is to leave the stem and seeds on.
2. Pour peanut oil until it covers the bottom of a large skillet and heat it over high heat. Fry the peppers in two batches until they are turning brown (about 3-4 min) on all sides.
3. Remove them and add a fair amount of salt.
4. Clean the skillet and heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic and after a few minutes add cherry tomatoes cut in half. After a few more minutes add crushed tomatoes and some salt and let cook on low for 15 minutes.
5. Add peppers to the pan and let simmer for a few minutes more.
6. Serve with crusty bread and be sure to wipe up all the sauce. I make this always as a main but if served as a side dish, this amount yields more.
FOR GLUTEN-FREE option, leave out the bread or use appropriate bread.
BUON APPETITO!