In her new cookbook, Everyday Dorie, we are offered dozens of treats by Dorie Greenspan. Many of the recipes come with striking photos. And then there is this photo. People are seeing this picture and going shopping. Suzi and I will be making this dish ourselves this weekend, but we are giving you this recipe now for a head start. I’m sure this recipe will become a staple in our portfolio, and yours, for the rest of our lives. A little side salad and a chllled bottle of white. That’s dinner.
Oven-Charred Tomato-Stuffed Peppers
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients:
For the tomatoes and peppers:
About 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove (or more, if you’d like), germ removed and very thinly sliced
About 8 sprigs fresh thyme, rosemary, mint and/or parsley
6 fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
5 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
8 oil-packed anchovies, minced
1 small lemon
Pinch of piment d’Espelette or cayenne pepper
3 large red and/or yellow boxy bell peppers
1 pint cherry tomatoes (25 to 30), halved
For serving [optional]:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Ricotta or Ricotta Spoonable (see page 22 in your copy of the book!)
Snipped fresh chives or finely chopped other fresh herbs
Preparation:
WORKING AHEAD:
You can prep the peppers a few hours ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator; let them sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven. You can also roast them a few hours ahead and keep them covered at room temperature.
READY TO COOK:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees F. Put a deep-dish 9 ½-inch pie pan (or similar-size baking dish) on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Spread a tablespoon or two of the oil over the bottom and sides of the pan, then scatter over the garlic slices, half of the herb sprigs and half of the basil and season with salt and pepper.
Stir the bread crumbs and anchovies together in a small bowl. Grate the zest of the lemon over and squeeze in the juice from half of the lemon (about 1 tablespoon; precision isn’t important here). Cut 6 thin slices from the other half of the lemon, then cut the slices in half; set aside. (If any lemon remains, squeeze the juice from it over the bread crumbs.) Stir in 1 tablespoon oil and season the crumbs with the piment d’Espelette or cayenne. Taste to see if you want some salt (anchovies are salty, so the seasoning might be just fine).
If you’d like (or need room in the pan), trim the peppers’ stems. Slice the peppers in half the long way and remove the ribs and seeds. Spoon an equal amount of the bread-crumb mixture into each pepper, scatter the remaining basil over and top each one with 2 lemon slices. Divide the tomatoes among the peppers, placing them as close together as you can, and season with salt and pepper. (I put the tomatoes in the peppers cut side down because I think they look prettier that way, but there is no set rule here.)
Transfer the peppers to the pie pan, crowding them together and cajoling them so that they all fit. One or two might pop up, or their bottoms might not fully touch the base of the pan, but in the end they will be fine. Drizzle over enough of the remaining oil to lightly moisten the tomatoes and then strew over the remaining herb sprigs. (The peppers can be prepared a few hours ahead to this point and refrigerated, covered; let them stand at room temperature while the oven preheats.}
Bake the peppers for about 1 hour (check at the 45-minute mark), until they’re as soft as you’d like them to be — poke the side of one with the tip of a paring knife to judge. The juices and oil should be bubbling and the peppers charred here and there. Remove and discard the herbs from the top of the peppers.
You can serve the peppers straight from the oven, I warm or at room temperature. If you’d like, drizzle them with a bit more oil, top them with a little ricotta (adding a dollop of ricotta is particularly nice if you’re serving I the dish warm as a starter) and sprinkle with chives or other herbs.
STORING:
I think the peppers are best the day they’re made, but if you have leftovers, refrigerate them — they’ll be soft but still tasty a day later.
Source: Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018