Neapolitan Stuffed Peppers

Neapolitan stuffed peppers are a flavorful dish that encapsulates the colors and flavors typical of Southern Italy. Here is the traditional recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers
• 300 grams of ground meat (mixed pork and beef)
• 50 grams of stale bread
• 50 grams of grated Parmesan
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves
• Parsley to taste
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Tomato passata to taste
• 100 grams of scamorza (or other melting cheese) cubed
• Capers (optional)
• Black olives (optional)

Preparation

1. Start by thoroughly washing the peppers, cut off the top to remove the lid and set it aside. Remove the seeds and the white inner parts.
2. In a large bowl, soak the stale bread in water to soften it, then squeeze it to remove excess water.
3. In the same bowl, combine the ground meat, egg, finely chopped garlic, chopped parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
4. Add the scamorza cubes, capers and chopped black olives to the filling if you decide to use them.
5. Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture, replace the lid and place them upright in a baking dish lightly greased with extra virgin olive oil.
6. Pour some tomato passata around the peppers and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Optionally, add a pinch of salt to the passata.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 1 hour or until the peppers are soft and the surface is golden.
8. Serve the stuffed peppers hot, optionally accompanied by some homemade bread to enjoy the sauce.

Trivia

The recipe for Neapolitan stuffed peppers allows for several variations: for example, some prefer to use breadcrumbs instead of stale bread, while others add raisins and pine nuts for a sweet and sour note. Every family has its own personalized version that is passed down from generation to generation.