Growing in a little box in on my patio is a cook's
treasure box of must haves...fresh herbs.  Easy to grow, just keep them watered and you will have fresh green
herbs from Spring until Winter.  I have Italian Parsley, Chives, Rosemary,Thyme, Basil, and Oregano.  Standard
stuff..yet a pinch of any of these whether added at the last minute, as a garnish, or in the cooking process itself
will render an ordinary dish extraordinary.  You can see my little patchwork of herbs in the pic above, taking
center stage is the Oregano.  The fresh version has a very different, yet similiar (confusing , no?) flavor profile
than the stronger, bolder dried Oregano.  Both are a favorite and both, the dried in particular factor into
endless Mediterranean dishes, as well as Mexican.  I received a beautiful bag of very long Red frying peppers
from my sister and brother-in-law.  When cooked these peppers are unbelievably sweet yet they have that
delicious pepper taste and they were screaming to be stuffed (not my family members, ....the peppers).
Again, opening up the fridge I looked to see what ingredients were on hand to stufff the peppers with and
immediately got going.
  Sneak peak at the finished product...I want you to want to
make these badly so....stare at the picture for inspiration.
  Seek out these long red peppers, they are sweet
peppers, not chiles...don't let the red color fool you.  If you cant find the red, the cubanelle green Italian frying
pepper will work.  The red pepper looks like an "u cornu" the Italian "horn" which is a facsimile of the red long
pepper...it's intended to ward off the Mal'occhio..the evil eye.  My u'Cornu was given to me by my parents as
a child...one of my treasured pieces of jewelry.  This U'Cornu dish of stuffed red peppers is sure to ward off
anyone who thinks your cooking is not good...they will only want you to cook for them again and again!
For this recipe, use 8 peppers, wash and dry them.  Then cut the tops off and remove the seeds and ribs
with your fingers.  Save the tops.  Now, in a bowl, add 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs, 3 tbs. of olive oil, 2 tbs.
of ricotta cheese (get the fresh one if at all possible), 1 1/2 tsp. of dried oregano, 1/2 of a pepper, finely minced,
1 clove of garlic, finely minced, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, 2 slices of prosciutto finely minced.  and 1/2 cup grated
Caciocavallo or Pecorino, 2 tbs. freshly chopped Italian parsley.


Now mix well but keep it as loose as possible.Add more Ricotta or Olive oil if too thick.  Now stuff
into the peppers, do not over stuff..it's an enhancement to the pepper..that is the flavor that you want to
rise above all the others. Leave a good 1/2 inch from the tops..the stuffing will grow somewhat.

  In a large iron skillet you can pan roast these..if your
skillet is not big enough, you will need to roast them in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes.
Add 1 tbs. of olive oil to the cast iron skillet..arrange the peppers in and bring it to high heat...when the peppers
start sputtering turn the heat down to medium and sprinkle salt over the peppers...cover with foil for 5 minutes.
Then turn them on other side, tent, leave for 15 minutes...check for burning, if they are browning too quickly lower
the flame.  The idea of this pan-roasting method is to in a more rapid fashion,roast these peppers bringing
out all of their sweetness and smokyness from the char.  They are done in about 30-40 minutes, or less, only
you can figure that out.  And very easily. If the pepper is soft all the way around, you are done...but you will NOT
be done before 1/2 an hour.  Be patient, be rewarded.
  In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add those reserved
pepper tops.  More than eating the tops, they make "una bella figura", they look nice!
Let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
  cross-section of the Pepperoni Imbottiti,...stuffed red
pepper...




You will be left with a pepper infused oil in the pan that you can drizzle about 1 tsp. over each serving. Scatter
fresh Oregano leaves over the dish...and get some GOOD BREAD..crusty, scorch bottomed bread...and dip
that bread into the pan of oil..then chase it with a forkful of the stuffed pepper.  You're living La Dolce Vita
again..the flavors will get you loaded with their heady perfume..by the way...did you check out the no salt
added to the stuffing mixture...stick to that..between the cheeses and the prosciutto, you are salt seasoned
enough..it's just the outsides of the peppers that needed a little bit of sodium.

Lots of pepper blog posts...why you ask?  Because I like them..that's first...then comes, they are in
season in ABUNDANCE right now and there is no better time to use them...
Happy Harvest Cooking!!!