RECIPES

Rich in antioxidants, vitamins and potassium, very low in calories (approximately 30 calories a piece!), bell peppers are a dream ingredient: flavorful, versatile, and very affordable most of the year, even if the natural harvesting season is summertime.

Red bell peppers are the ripe version of the green ones: richer in vitamin C, but poorer in polyphenols. I usually prefer to use the red peppers, because they are sweeter to the taste.

As it is the case with most Italian recipes, the one we are going to make today was dictated by necessity of whipping up two meals a day on a budget, and the need to use ingredients most of the time already in the fridge or in the pantry. Hence the incredible variety of possible stuffing ingredients for the peppers, that basically become a shell for – often – leftovers. So, feel free to change and adapt depending on what you have handy: this might be zucchini instead of eggplant, fontina cheese instead of mozzarella, or maybe adding canned tuna or anchovies. Often, you will also find some cubed stale bread in the filling.