Peperoni con Acciughe - Grilled Peppers with Anchovies
Recipe:
Peperoni con Acciughe, or Grilled Peppers with Anchovies are a traditional Italian antipasto that quickly and easily comes together in no time at all. Simply accompanied by capers, pine nuts, garlic, olives and a good drizzle of olive oil, this flavorful medley of pure goodness will become a mouthwatering experience for any occasion. Serve on toasted slices of crunchy, rustic bread, and this delicious appetizer will become a loved dish when sitting around the kitchen table with family and friends. Not only a great appetizer, but also a perfect contorno or accompaniment to a main course of fish or meat. Let's get started!
Once the grill is hot, place the whole peppers on the grill. Another option is to place these beauties directly over the hot coals as shown in theRed Pepper Soup recipe.
Be mindful that while roasting, carefully turn the peppers on all sides making sure not to puncture them or overly charr them. Hidden inside each pepper is a delicious concentrated juice that must not be lost.
Once all sides are dark and almost seem to have been grilled a bit too far, carefully remove each pepper and place them in a glass bowl or paper bag. Cover the glass bowl with plastic wrap, or if using a paper bag simply roll up the paper bag. During this time the peppers will sweat and collapse. No worries if that happens! That's perfect.
Place a pepper in one hand and simply peel off the charred skin with the other hand. Allow the juice and the seeds to drop into a clean glass bowl. Later the seeds can be sifted out and the juice added to the finished product.
Remove the charred skin as best you can, but do not be tempted to rinse the peppers. Doing so would remove the delicious flavor that was created when roasting.
Cut the peppers into sections and lay them on a serving plate. We chose to fan them out alternating colors.
Scatter the capers over the peppers. Next add the Kalamata olives and the toasted pine nuts to the dish.
The anchovies can now finally be added over the peppers. Finish everything off with a nice drizzle of good olive oil.
Garnish the dish with the thinly sliced garlic, cayenne pepper, as well as the parsley. Serve with toasted bread. Enjoy!