1 week Ago
Sweet and Spicy Pepper Pasta. Rey Lopez/photo; Lisa Cherkasky/food styling for The Washington Post This pasta, with its punchy tumble of sweet and spicy peppers, garlic, parmesan, toasted breadcrumbs, and herbs, was inspired by a very special stuffed pepper I first encountered 16 years ago, when, at least to that 26-year-old me, it seemed like the world was falling apart. On the morning of Sept.
26, 2008, I was walking to work along West Third Street in Los Angeles when the reality of the Great Recession first hit me. About 50 feet away, workers on a hydraulic lift were using a piece of tarp and bungee cords to cover the sign on the neighborhood bank as uniformed officers chained and locked the door. Washington Mutual had failed the day before.
It remains the largest bank failure in U.S. history.
Lots of other terrible things happened that year, the most personally consequential of which was that I, along with many other people, was laid off. At some point, after weeks of submitting job applications in a panic as I watched my bank balance plummet, I heard that a professional acquaintance needed an extra set of hands a few days a week. I didn’t even know what the job would entail, but I was in.
Initially, I knew Dominick DiBartolomeo only as an employee at the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, a client of my previous employer (and, at least in my mind, a national treasure). I was friendly with the place and its people, so I knew that DiBartolomeo had a side business making pestos, tapenades and a few other family recipes, which he then sold at the Cheese Store and farmers markets across town. My new job was to help make these heirloom recipes and then, every Saturday and Sunday, wake up at 5 a.
m. to drive to one of several markets and sell them. This is where I encountered the small stuffed pepper that inspired today’s pasta recipe.
They’re a little bit bigger than a gumball; olive green or deep red, but wrinkly and a little stodgy. Packed in plastic pint containers and stacked next to bright-green pistachio pesto and mosaic-like tapenade, they were a hard sell – until you tasted one. Stuffed with parmesan cheese, garlic, herbs, breadcrumbs and olive oil, they are deeply savory, and, like with potato chips and french fries, I was never able to eat just one.
I have thought about these peppers a lot since I left L.A. When I reached DiBartolomeo by phone recently, I finally came clean: I might have overindulged when, for quality-control purposes, I tasted a few of the peppers each weekend.
DiBartolomeo laughed, a big, happy belly laugh. “Well, that’s understandable,” he said. I asked for the story behind the stuffed peppers, which I had not encountered before and have not since.
“This is something my grandfather would make,” DiBartolomeo said, noting that he was named after the elder Dominico. “He was a blacksmith in Italy, in Campobasso, which is in Molise, north of Naples. When he came to the U.
S., he started making these peppers for family gatherings. They’re really a labor of love.
” The base is what DiBartolomeo calls a vinegar pepper – sweet Sunnybrook or spicy cherry peppers are similar, but these are also brined – which is stemmed, cored and cleaned. In goes that homemade stuffing. After a final drizzle of olive oil, they get baked until the stuffing browns and puffs up like a mushroom cap.
“You’ll find iterations of this in Puglia, where they stuff the peppers with tuna, or even on the East Coast of the United States, they’ll stuff them with prosciutto, or some people bread and fry them,” DiBartolomeo said. “But I don’t know anyone who makes them like my grandfather did.” In an attempt to channel that flavor memory, I dreamed up this recipe, which starts with peppers and garlicky breadcrumbs.
To get at the stuffed peppers’ simple-yet-complex taste and texture, I added sweet yellow onions, a bit of ground pork, fennel seeds and oregano. I think of it as an homage to the labor-intensive original. When I explained the concept to DiBartolomeo, he approved.
“The pork, that’s a good idea, that sounds good,” he said. For 45 years, the Cheese Store in downtown Beverly Hills was run by the fascinating and incredibly kind Norbert Wabnig. (Fans of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” may have caught him in a recent episode.
) In 2022, Wabnig sold the shop to DiBartolomeo. A few years ago, he pulled out of farmers markets to concentrate on in-store sales. “We sell sandwiches now, and one of the most popular ones on our menu combines mortadella, provolone and the spicy stuffed pep -” I interrupted him.
“Dominick, I’m planning a trip to L.A. early next year.
I have to have that sandwich!” “Daniela, let’s make it happen.” Toasting the breadcrumbs in pan juices gives them flavor as well as crunch — without using another pan. Rey Lopez/photo; Lisa Cherkasky/food styling for The Washington Post Sweet and Spicy Pepper Pasta Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 4-6 (makes about 10 cups) Inspired by a Southern-Italian-style recipe for stuffed peppers, this pasta combines sweet and spicy red peppers with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and lots of parsley.
A little bit of ground pork – or a plant-based substitute – makes the dish more filling. Red bell peppers are best here, but you could also use orange or yellow peppers. Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
INGREDIENTS 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed 12 ounces orecchiette or other small pasta 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed 8 ounces ground pork or a plant-based substitute (optional) 1 small yellow onion (6 ounces), diced 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 3 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped 1 cherry or Fresno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (optional) 1/2 cup panko or other plain breadcrumbs 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving 1/2 cup (1 ounce) grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving DIRECTIONS Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then sprinkle in a big pinch of salt. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente as indicated on package instructions or to your desired doneness. Drain well, transfer back to the pot and cover to keep warm.
While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the pork, if using, onion, garlic, fennel seeds, oregano, salt and black pepper, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the pork, until the meat is no longer pink and the onions have softened, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork browns and crisps, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-high, and add the bell peppers and cherry or Fresno pepper, if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 4 to 5 minutes. Use the liquid released by the peppers to help scrape up any browned bits that have started to form on the bottom of the skillet.
Reduce the heat to medium, then taste the mixture, and add more salt and black pepper, if desired. Push the meat and vegetables to one side of the skillet, and briefly tilt it so some of the fat coats the bottom of the empty side of the pan. (If there is no fat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the empty side of the skillet.
) Add the breadcrumbs, stir to coat in the fat, and cook for 2 to 4 minutes without stirring, until starting to brown. Remove from the heat. Stir the meat and pepper mixture into the pasta, along with the parsley and parmesan.
Taste again, adjusting the salt and pepper as desired. Serve family-style, with additional parmesan on the side. Substitutions: No sweet peppers? Try cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh spinach – at least 6 ounces – or summer squash.
Instead of using ground pork and seasoning it to taste like Italian sausage, you could use two links of (uncooked) sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, and omit the fennel and oregano. You could do the same with a chicken or plant-based sausage. In place of breadcrumbs, you could use leftover rice.
Gluten-free? Use gluten-free pasta and panko. Nutritional Facts per serving (1 2/3 cups, based on 6, without meat or spicy pepper) | Calories: 332; Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 56 g; Sodium: 385 mg; Cholesterol: 5 mg; Protein; 12 g; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 7 g We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here .
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below.
If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated.
Send questions/comments to the editors..
