PEPPERS****Fried Banana Peppers (Peperoni in Padella)

By Unblond1

I like these. I haven't tried the breadcrumbs yet. I had them once on a sandwich, which was good and another time as an omelet filling, which was also good.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 - 4 banana or cubanella peppers, or other long thin-fleshed mildly spiced pepper, tops cut off, seeds and ribs removed
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• salt
• 2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs, or seasoned breadcrumbs

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. (Enamelled cast iron works well) Arrange the whole peppers in a single layer in the skillet and cover immediately - they spit! Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of the knife and scatter them around the peppers.

Fry the peppers and garlic, turning as necessary, and pressing down with the spatula when you turn them, until the peppers are evenly browned and blistered on all sides, and the garlic is golden brown, about 10 minutes for the peppers, less for the garlic. Remove and reserve the garlic cloves as they brown.

Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the peppers to a plate to cool, reserving the oil and any juices in the pan.

When cool enough to handle, tear each pepper lengthwise into four strips. Arrange the pepper strips in a serving dish or a glass jar as you work. Add the oil from the skillet and the reserved garlic to the juices in the baking pan and season to taste with salt.

To serve, sprinkle the pepper strips with a light coat of bread crumbs, if using, and toss to mix. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

NOTES: To serve them as a room temperature salad, prepare them as described above. If you prefer to serve them hot, arrange the peeled peppers and their juices in a baking dish, sprinkle the bread crumbs over them, and bake in a hot oven until the crumbs are lightly browned.

Calories 131.3
Total Fat 10.0 g
Saturated Fat 1.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 6.7 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 14.8 mg
Potassium 217.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10.5 g
Dietary Fiber 1.1 g
Sugars 3.4 g
Protein 1.8 g