Bubba's Stuffed Peppers

Cooking with Otis

For several years I've been in charge of stuffed peppers when my mother, (aka, Rose Catanzano Pascal, or Gigi) doles out assignments for Easter/Thanksgiving/Christmas Eve. I've been given other assignments as well, like eggplant parm and various salads, but each time I'm assigned one of those, I'm never asked to make it again. I try not to read between the lines too much, but maybe that means something. When I was a kid, I knew to do a lousy job when asked to wash the windows or clean the tub, and I was never asked to do those tasks again, either.

This recipe has morphed from the version told to me by Bubba (aka, Julie Catanzano) and separately by Gigi, but neither gave me precise amounts to use in the recipe. Most everything was explained to me as handfuls, pinches, or bunches, and many ingredients were said to be optional. In light of the ambiguity of it all, my peppers are never the same twice. Let's see how yours come out!

Necessary Ingredients:

Some of the ingredients

* 8 - 10 Cubanella Peppers, washed, seeds removed, and cut in half lengthwise
* 1 cup olive oil
* 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
* 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
* 2 big, juicy tomatoes, chopped
* Salt & Pepper

 Optional Ingredients:
* 4 - 6 white mushrooms, chopped
* pine nuts
* 1 small can of sliced black olives
* 1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 cans Delallo's anchovies in olive oil (not in water!), sliced

This recipe is very easy, and can be done in stages. I typically make the stuffing and maybe even stuff the peppers the night before. Then, I bake them in the 1 - 2 hours prior to serving so that they're freshest for the meal.

First, save a half cup of the oil, a little parsley and the pine nuts for later. Combine everything else in a big mixing bowl. Next, smear some olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish or cookie sheet with edges (large enough to cram all the peppers in without room to wiggle). Spoon stuffing into each pepper, arrange all the peppers in the baking dish. Top with the parsley and pine nuts you set aside. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over them, cover with aluminum foil (shiny side down) and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Cin dun!

Matt Pascal (grandson of Bubba, aka Angelina DeLucia Cantanzano)