Serve this as a side dish, or use it to top pizza. It could be tossed with romaine lettuce for a salad or the leaves could be left whole and filled with, or use this to top bruschetta or crostini. If using for anything but pizza, try the Quickles option. The cool crunch and the bracing tartness of the vinegar is a wonderful foil to the plush textures and oil rich flavors of the pesto and peppers.
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 Corno di Toro peppers, roasted, peeled, and cut into ¼-inch wide strips or ½-inch squares (see Basic Roasted Peppers recipe) ¼ to ½ cup Pesto alla Trapanese (see recipe) -Optional- 1 cup Purplette Onion Quickles (see recipe) Salt and pepper to taste Olive oil as neededMETHOD:
Once the peppers have been cut to the desired size, place in a non-reactive bowl and add the pesto. Start with the smaller amount, and toss until the pesto has spread out and coated the peppers. If the pesto is too tight to spread, add a little bit of olive oil and toss. Once the pesto is spread over the peppers, taste a pepper to check the balance of flavors. The pesto should be present but not overwhelm the flavor of the peppers. Add more pesto to achieve the correct balance. Transfer to a bowl or platter, and if using the Purplette Quickle option, scatter the rings of quickle over the peppers.
Serve cool, room temperature, or warm.
Chef’s Notes:
Use this to top a pizza. Instead of tomato sauce, hit the dough with olive oil, a little Pesto all Trapanese, and them some fresh mozzarella. Lay on some of the pesto pepper strips and bake. This dish would be good as topping for grilled fish or chicken. If you had leftover grilled chicken, shred it and toss with some of the peppers for an excellent sandwich. Marinate Portobello mushrooms in a mild vinaigrette then stuff with the pepper mixture and grate a little cheese on top and roast. And, don’t forget breakfast! Try these in an omelet or under poached eggs.
Yield: 3-4 cups
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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