PEPERONI RIPIENI DI PASTA Filled vegetables are very common throughout Italy and started off as a cucina povera dish to make the veggies go further, adding whatever ingredients were available. Commonly, (bell) peppers are baked and then filled and the addition of pasta makes this dish a very different and enjoyable way to eat our favourite Italian staple.When you first roast the peppers, make sure you do not overcook them – they need to be sturdy to be filled with the pasta mixture. I have used red and yellow peppers as they are sweeter, but you could use the green variety too, if you prefer.
Serves 4-6 6 mixed (bell) peppers (yellow and red) 300 g/10 ½oz sedanini pasta or pennette (small penne) 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 garlic clove, left whole and squashed 4 anchovy fillets 20 black pitted olives 2 tsp capers 300 g/101/2oz baby plum tomatoes, halved 10 basil leaves, roughly torn 125 g/41/2oz mozzarella, cut into small cubes sea salt Preheat the oven to 200oC fan/220oC/425oF/gas mark 7.
Slice the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds inside with a spoon. Replace the tops on the peppers to resemble little hats. Put them into a baking dish or onto a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, until the peppers soften but are not mushy. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time). Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and anchovies, and sweat until the anchovies have melted. Add the olives, capers, tomatoes and basil, cover with a lid and cook over a medium–low heat for about 7 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. Discard the garlic. Drain the pasta and add to the tomato sauce, mixing well to combine over a high heat for a minute or so. Remove from the heat, then stir in the mozzarella. Reduce the oven temperature to 180oC fan/200oC/400oF/gas mark 6. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil into a baking dish. Place the peppers in the dish and fill them with the pasta mixture, covering them with their little ‘hats’. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for a couple of minutes, then serve. 23