Peppers

SEASON'S PRODUCE

Sweet peppers

By Tara Duggan, Chronicle Staff Writer

The curving, tapered shapes and autumnal-fire colors make them hard to resist at a farmers' market. Sitting next to traditional sweet bell peppers, specialty sweet peppers — from long and squiggly Italian frying peppers to cute and tiny Jingle Bell peppers — beckon for frying and stuffing. But one in particular stands out on Bay Area restaurant menus this time of year: the Gypsy pepper.

With its narrow shoulders and long, tapered shape, the Gypsy pepper looks more like a hot chile pepper than a bell pepper. That's because most hot and all sweet peppers are part of the Capsicum annuum species, which originates in Mexico. They aren't related to true pepper but to tomatoes and potatoes.

When Columbus came across capsicums in the New World, he called them pimientos (pimienta means black pepper in Spanish) in order to compete with black pepper in the spice trade, creating confusion for centuries to come. In this country today, when you're not talking about the spice, "pepper" usually refers to sweet peppers and "chile" to hot peppers.

Like other sweet peppers in the "frying pepper" category, Gypsies have a thin skin that doesn't need to be peeled, making them ideal for frying. They also are smaller and have thinner walls than bell peppers, so you can stuff and roast or grill them quickly.

Gypsies are one of the first "heirloom" sweet varietals to come onto the late-summer, early-fall pepper scene. Though actually a hybrid, it is mostly grown by small organic farms and are only available at farmers' markets and a few produce stores. Bell peppers, though available year round, are particularly delicious right now, especially the ones sold at farmers' markets.

Glossary of sweet pepper varieties:

Bell pepper. Like all sweet peppers, bell peppers change color and flavor through the season, and farmers pick them at different stages for different uses. Green bell peppers tend to be slightly bitter and great for Easter European-style preparation, while orange, red and yellow peppers are sweeter and delicious roasted and peeled. You can also find purple and white varieties.

Gypsy pepper. A hybrid pepper that ranges from green to red. When fully ripe, it has an intense sweetness and complex flavor.

Italian frying peppers. Long, multicolored peppers have an appealing bitterness when green.

Corno di toro. Meaning "bull's horn" this is narrower than a Gypsy and not as sweet.

Pimiento. This fleshy heart-shaped red pepper, the same one used to stuff olives and make paprika in Europe, also is sold fresh at some Bay Area markets.

How to select: Like most summer produce, peppers should feel heavy for their size. Look for firm peppers without any wrinkled skin or brown patches.

How to store: Keep, unwashed, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Zucchini, Pepper & Olive Tart Provencal

By Chronicle columnist Marlena Spieler.

INGREDIENTS:
2 onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, crumbled
3 to 4 tablespoons tomato passata, or tomato paste or puree
15 to 20 oil-cured black olives, pitted and halved
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar if needed
9-inch unbaked pie shell

INSTRUCTIONS: Saute the onions in the olive oil until they are golden and very soft. Add the garlic and bell peppers and cook until they, too, have softened. Add the zucchini and cook until it is tender. Add the thyme, tomato passata and the olives; cook a moment longer. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary with salt, pepper and sugar. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees-375 degrees.

Spoon the vegetable mixture into the pie shell and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are golden brown and the vegetable mixture has browned.

Enjoy immediately or let cool and eat at room temperature.

Serves 6

PER SERVING: 265 calories, 4 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 18 g fat (4 g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Gypsy Pepper Vinaigrette

This delicious vinaigrette from Downtown restaurant chef David Stevenson would be great on any salad.

INGREDIENTS:
Gypsy Pepper Vinegar
1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 red gypsy pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sherry (optional)

Vinaigrette
1/3 cup Gypsy Pepper Vinegar
1/2 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of minced garlic
Pinch of chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS: For the vinegar: Combine the vinegar, pepper, sugar and salt in a small pot and simmer until the pepper is soft, about 5 to 8 minutes. Puree in a blender until very smooth. Stir in the sherry, if using.

For the vinaigrette: Combine everything but the olive oil in a bowl, then whisk in the oil. Season to taste.

Yields 1 cup vinaigrette

PER TABLESPOON: 65 calories, 0 protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 56 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

Gypsy Peppers Stuffed With Manchego Cheese & Corn Over Greens

This recipe from Downtown restaurant chef David Stevenson serves 8 as a first course. The stuffing stays together well enough that you can place the peppers on their sides in the baking pan. Serve hot or at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup diced red onion
2 cups corn kernels
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups grated manchego, dry Jack or a similar cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
8 red Gypsy peppers
1 pound mixed baby greens
1 cup Gypsy Pepper Vinaigrette (see recipe)

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350° and oil a small baking pan or glass dish with oil.

Saute the onion, corn and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool, then add the breadcrumbs, cheese, thyme and parsley.

Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Fill each pepper with the corn mixture, pushing gently so the stuffing stays in place. Rub the peppers with olive oil and place in the baking pan.

Roast the peppers for 25-30 minutes, or until the peppers soften and collapse. If some stuffing oozes out, just push it back in.

Toss the greens with the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper. Portion the greens onto serving plates and top each mound with a stuffed pepper.

Serves 8

PER SERVING: 485 calories, 15 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 37 g fat (14 g saturated), 45 mg cholesterol, 439 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

Damn Hot Peppers

From Chronicle columnist Jacqueline Higuera McMahan, who loosely adapted it from a recipe from Michael Chiarello's book, "Casual Cooking" (Chronicle Books, 2002, 216 pages) written with Chronicle staff writer Janet Fletcher. They're great as a relish for hamburgers, sandwiches with melted cheese, with sausages or quesadillas, or stirred into ground turkey to make a great-tasting low-fat meat loaf.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons flavorful olive oil
4 green bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
11 jalapenos, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices, seeded, if desired (see Note)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded, finely diced (or canned whole tomatoes, finely diced)

INSTRUCTIONS: Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add all the peppers. Stir until they are coated with olive oil and then saute slowly for 20 minutes. Do not let them caramelize or burn.

Add the salt and the tomatoes. Simmer gently for another 15 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a glass container and store in the refrigerator.

These keep well for about 5 days.

Yields 3 cups

Note: To seed the peppers, use the tip of a paring knife so you don't get volatile oils from the chiles on your hands.

PER TABLESPOON: 10 calories, 0 protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat (0 saturated), 0 cholesterol, 49 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

Marche's Red Bell Pepper Carpaccio

Although thinly pounded raw beef — the original carpaccio — remains popular, chefs also borrow the term for preparations with no sign of meat. Chef Howard Bulka of Marche in Menlo Park simmers thick, meaty bell pepper halves slowly in olive oil then peels them and flattens them until they look like paper-thin raw beef. Bulka recommends making this dish with only sweet, meaty red bell peppers from the late-summer harvest. The recipe calls for an extravagant amount of olive oil, but you can refrigerate the flavorful leftover oil for several weeks and use it in pasta sauces, aioli or salad dressings. See Appetease, below, for a feta cheese recommendation.

INGREDIENTS:
Pepper confit:
6 large, meaty red bell peppers
1 1/2 quarts extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

Salad:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more as needed
Sea salt
3 ounces baby arugula
2 ounces feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS: Pepper confit: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve peppers; remove seeds and ribs. Arrange halves in a high-sided baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer. Add enough olive oil to cover, or almost cover, the peppers. Put peppers in oven, reduce temperature to 275 degrees. Bake until peppers are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool in the oil, then refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.

Salad: Whisk together the 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season with salt.

With tongs, lift peppers out of olive oil. Peel them. Divide peppers among dinner plates, arranging pieces so that they are side by side but not overlapping. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of peppers; press with your palms to flatten them. Discard plastic wrap. Season peppers with salt and a generous squeeze of lemon.

Toss arugula with dressing, using just enough to coat leaves lightly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Mound arugula in center of each plate, or scatter over peppers. Crumble feta over all.

Serves 4

Because of the general nature of the recipe, there is no analysis.