Jul

20

Frigittelli: fried sweet green peppers

July 20, 2008 |


Friggitelli or friarelli (friarelli is a word also used for cime di rapa) are small sweet light green Italian peppers.  They have an irregular shape not to be confused with conical shape peppers and they are not hybrids either.  They are a very common variety originally from Campania. The name derives from the verb “friggere”, to fry. The classical way to prepare them in fact is to deep fry them and serve as an antipasto or a side dish. They are very well known in the South of Italy but not so much so in the North, thus it was really a nice surprise when I found them at my farmer today.

If you have a garden you could try to grow them yourself. I found this web site, called Gormet Seed International that has a wide selection of pepper seeds and they have the “friggitelli” and “peperoncini a sigaretta” which are also suitable for this dish. They have pictures and little explanation about the different varieties so you can actually see and better understand the kind of peppers I’m talking about. I have never ordered seeds from them so I can not give you further info about their service nor the quality of seeds.

Getting back to friggitelli, I prepared them for me and my husband. He never tasted them before but he really liked them. They are easy and quick to prepare, just few ingredients and they are done. The recipe I made is lighter than the original one but still very tasty and flavorful. If you prefer to prepare them in the classical way just deep fry them in olive oil, salt them and serve them hot.

Friggitelli

1 lb. whole friggitelli
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves not peeled
salt to taste

Serves: 4 to 6 persons

Warm up a non stick skillet, I used a Wok.  Add the olive oil and the garlic cloves slightly crushed.  Then add the friggitelli and mix them quickly until cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Salt to taste and serve them warm.


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