Most of you grew up with stuffed peppers on your Mom’s menu. While Peter might have picked a peck of pickled peppers for your house, he never did for mine. Peppers in our house were always green, diced and added to iceberg lettuce salad.
picklelicious.com
Following in the family tradition, I’d never stuffed a pepper either but it was time to break the mold. This week’s FFWD recipe choice, Tuna-packed Piquillo Peppers, is a delightful stuffer starter for a novice. Have you even heard of “peek-ee-oh” peppers? Inquisitive French housewives peeked over the Spanish border and realized the Basque were seasoning their cuisine with these two-inch-long, fire-roasted, little darlings. Viola! Un ingrédient secret!
These slightly smoky, pleasantly sweet jewels come peeled and packed in a jar. “Look for piquillos that have the D.O. symbol, attesting to the fact they were grown and grilled in Navarre”, Dorie suggests. (You’ll find them in every French pantry and in a 12-ounce jar at your local Whole Foods.)
Throw together a savory tuna mixture with lemon, capers, shallots, Niçoise olives, olive oil and seasonings. Stuff each pepper with one tablespoon of it. Place them in a oiled pan to broil for five to seven minutes. Served with crusty bread and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, this was un almuerzo delicioso.
Dellalo.com
As you are reading this, I have just landed in Seattle to attend the International Food Bloggers Conference 2013. I have no idea what one does at a foodie confab but it must involve calories. If so, I’m all in.
What makes the conference extra-special is our own Dorie Greenspan is this year’s keynote speaker. That’s why 14 Doristas are converging on Seattle and will be sitting center-stage, hoopin‘ and hollering when Dorie steps to the podium. After three years of cooking her book, we are fired up and ready to meet our virtual mentor (and each other) in real time. To our colleagues who couldn’t be in Seattle this week, we will keep you in the Loop and very much miss your presence.
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Tuna-Packed Piquillo Peppers is this week’s recipe assignment for French Friday’s with Dorie, a group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s amazing “Around My French Table”. To visit the other sites of my colleagues who are cooking the book, go here.
Pike Place Market in Seattle
Pike Place Market in Seattle
Your peppers are so pretty 🙂 And I don’t have to tell you I am SO sad to not be able to get to IFBC this year. I do need someone to tell me where you all got those bags from though? I want one!
MARDI – I will see that you get one. It’s my thank you for all the assistance you gave me on my trip to Paris that I never took, but (and, this is a secret), next year I am taking daughter Melissa to Paris for my birthday – sooooooo, we’ll have to resurrect the plans and make adjustments. Are you in?
See you soon!!!!! xo
How wonderful 14 Doristas… now that’s a pack of pickled peppers… I didn’t think to look for jarred peppers… I may have to give a look. Impressed you got this made before your trip. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and post lots of pictures.
My mom made the best stuffed bell peppers in the world. Rice, ground beef and seasonings…that she cooked in a pressure cooker. You brought back may memories of my favorite food….my mom was an amazing “Southern Cook”.
xxoo
Luky
I can’t believe I forgot to broil these! I was having too much fun eating the piquillos that got torn, um, accidentally. Now I’ll have to make them again after returning from this amazing IFBC experience.
I was so hoping to meet up with you guys downtown while you were here in my city! I hope you enjoyed being here and learned a lot.
I served my stuffed peppers with a lovely Sauvignon Blanc as well and really enjoyed this protein-packed starter.
Love those Piquillo peppers and what a wonderful way to use them, definitely takes stuffed peppers to a new level! YUM! Have fun at the conference Mary, I know it will be an awesome experience!
I am so jealous. I hope you’re having a great time in Seattle! I like stuffed peppers, but this was definitely the first time I used tuna fish in them.
In accordance to the int’l part of the conference this post is full of languages Mary, jaja! Loved that you all met finally. It was a blast to see all those pictures, thanks for loading them! Piquillo peppers are, for me, the best roasted red peppers. Period.
Sounds like everyone had fun. I’m very sorry to have missed it, but am loving all the stories and photos which have been coming in over the weekend.
I figured you’d be one of the few that remembered Bishop’s! I think all the girls got fried chicken and chocolate pie…those were the days 🙂
Just catching up from last week… I’m glad you had fun with the peppers. I particularly enjoyed the tuna salad part of this one. I loved all the Mediterranean flavors with the tuna. Yum! (P.S. It’s fun to read all about the anticipation of the weekend now that it’s over.)
Okay – the only way we had peppers was stuffed with Spanish rice. I didn’t think you could serve them any other way until I was an adult!
It was such a trip to meet you Ms. Mary – and thank you for keeping Mr. Joe entertained Saturday night. I wish I were still in Seattle and did not have to come home to the sharp bite of reality…
Looks like I didn’t have to go to Italy to go to a gorgeous food market.
Can’t wait to read the next blog about Food Bloggers of the Universe.