Stuffed Red Peppers, Piedmontese-style
One of my favorite recipes made during the one week at ICIF (Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners) was for chilled stuffed red peppers. Why? Because it was made with the same basic ingredients as my favorite Belgian appetizer, Russian eggs. This simple dish is comprised of a macédoine of vegetables laced with mayonnaise spooned over a boiled egg. Simple but delicious. So was its Piedmont version minus the egg.
Our class started with how to make homemade mayonnaise from scratch. Despite a previous dismal track record, this time mine turned out perfectly perhaps because we used a polsonetto. This is a pan, traditionally made in copper, dating back to the 17th–18th centuries. It resembles a saucier with its long handle, rounded bottom and tall sides. In Italy, a polsonetto is primarily used by chefs for creating sauces and other dishes such as zabaglione, custards, and polenta where frequent whisking is used over a low, even heat. Its gently curved, corner-less bottom also makes it an ideal vessel for whisking up mayonnaise where no heat is required.
After making the mayonnaise and putting it aside in the refrigerator, our class roasted red peppers in the oven, then carefully removed their skin. Next, we boiled cubed vegetables on our individual induction stove top units. Once that had cooled, we added tuna fish, then bound everything together with our mayonnaise.
This mixture was used to fill rectangles of roasted red peppers rolled up like caramel candies using plastic wrap. Finally, after an hour in the refrigerator, we plated the stuffed red pepper rolls on a bed of baby lettuce lightly drizzled with a vinaigrette. Back home, I took a shortcut by using Trader Joe’s roasted red peppers from a jar! Why not?
Ingredients:
1/3 cup each of at least four different cooked vegetables, all finely diced: potato, celery, carrots, parsnips, celery root, green beans, or golden beets.
1/3 cup frozen green peas, thawed
½ cup good quality mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1 5-oz can tuna fish in olive oil, drained, and flaked with a fork. (Use half of the tuna and add more, to taste)
1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives or parsley
Grated rind from ½ lemon
1 12-oz jar roasted red peppers, drained or 3 fresh red peppers, cut in half with inners and stem removed, then roasted. Once cooled, skins removed.
Salt and pepper to taste
Mixed baby greens for garnish
Vinaigrette for drizzling
Cooking Instructions:
1. Finely dice 1/3 cup each of four to five vegetables of your choice.
2. Because each vegetable has a different density, cook them separately. Start with a pot of 3 cups water or vegetable broth—preferably homemade. Add each vegetable separately. Cooking time will vary but approximately 3-5minutes for each. (Add more water, as needed.) Remove the cooked vegetable dices with a slotted spoon putting them into a large bowl to cool.
3. Repeat with the next vegetable using the same broth as it will gather additional flavors with each subsequent ingredient. (Save liquid for making soup or sauces.)
4. Add 1/3 cup thawed green peas to the cooked vegetables macédoine.
5. Cover and chill the vegetables in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, add ½ cup good quality mayonnaise and flaked tuna fish. Stir in the chives or parsley and grated lemon rind. Add salt and pepper.
7. Remove vegetable macédoine from the refrigerator and stir in the mayonnaise/tuna mixture.
8. Cut red peppers into 4-inch by 5-inch rectangles. Dry with a paper towel.
9. Place one rectangle on a piece of plastic wrap. Fill with 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable-tuna mixture. Using the plastic wrap, roll pepper into a cylinder and twist the ends like a large piece of candy. Put on a flat plate and continue to make rest of the peppers. Refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to blend.
10. Unroll each pepper roll onto a serving plate along with some mixed greens. Drizzle with a vinaigrette and serve immediately
To serve: 6
Wine Suggestion: For an Italian white select a Cortese, Inzolia, Vermentino or Pinot Grigio. For an Italian red, all of which should be slightly chilled, try a Dolcetto, Valpolicella or Lambrusco. If you want to venture outside of Italy, look for an unoaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Grüner Veltliner for a white, or for a red, a Pinot Noir or Gamay-based wine such as Beaujolais.