Piedmont Roast Peppers with Italian Flavours

Serve these baby stuffed capsciums as part of an antipasto platter, as a vegetable side, or as a simple lunch dish, with the addition of a salad of bitter greens with crisp prosciutto.

Ingredients

• 8 baby red capscium
• 1/2 punnet each, of red and yellow grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 anchovy fillets, drained, finely chopped
• 2 tbs salted baby capers, rinsed
• kalamata olives, pitted, about 24
• handful basil leaves, allow 1 whole per capscium, chop the remainder
• Cheese of choice : goats curd, baby bocconcini, torn buffalo mozzarella, pecorino, provolone
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• 2 slices of day-old, rustic style bread
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• Basil pesto to serve - optional

Method

1. Preheat oven 180C
2. Cut the tops from the capscium, scoop out the seeds and discard.
3. Brush the outsides of the capscium with a little olive oil and place on a baking paper-lined oven tray.
4. Mix together the tomatoes, garlic, anchovy fillets, capers, olives and the chopped basil leaves. Drizzle in enough olive oil to coat and balsamic vinegar to taste. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Place a whole basil leaf in each capscium, and a good dollop of goats curd, or whichever cheese you have chosen.
6. Divide the tomato mix between the capsciums, piling it up well.
7. Pull bread from the crust in small pieces and tuck among the other ingredients.
8. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the capscium are cooked, but not falling apart, and the bread is lightly toasted.
9. Serve warm, or at room temperature, drizzled with a little olive oil or with basil pesto, and an extra dollop of goats cheese.