Pasta with Friggitelli Peppers (Friarielli)
In this recipe from Southern Italy, friggitelli peppers add a slightly sweet and fruity flavour to tomatoes and pancetta to create a very tasty yet quick to make pasta dish.
Servings: 4
Calories: 594kcal
Ingredients
- 0.88 lbs Short pasta (I used biricci) - penne, paccheri or short maltagliati also work
- 10.6 oz Friggitelli peppers or other small sweet peppers
- 3.5 oz Pancetta diced
- 2 cloves Garlic 1 whole peeled clove and 1 chopped clove
- 7 oz Datterini tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- 3-4 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 handful Fresh basil chopped
- Salt for pasta and to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano to serve
Instructions
- Wash and dry the friggitelli peppers, then cut off the top part with the stem and remove as many seeds as possible.
- Fry the peppers in a skillet or frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a peeled whole clove of garlic, salt and pepper (These peppers have very thin skins and don’t take long to cook. Be careful not to burn them. You want them soft and slightly browned).
- When the friggitelli are soft and lightly brown, remove them and the garlic clove from the pan. Add a little more olive oil and sauté the chopped garlic clove until softened.
- Add the tomatoes, basil, a little water and salt to taste, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the friggitelli peppers to the sauce.
- In a separate pan over medium-high heat, fry the pancetta cubes until browned, then add to the sauce.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and bring to a boil again. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Take a cup of the pasta water and place it to the side. Then strain the pasta in a colander.
- Mix in the pasta to the pepper sauce. If the pasta seems dry add some of the saved pasta cooking water and stir well. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped fresh basil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Notes
- If you can’t find friggitelli peppers you can also make this dish with other varieties of small sweet peppers such as Spanish padrón peppers or Japanese shishito peppers.
- If you'd like to make this recipe vegetarian, simply leave out the Pancetta and the Parmigiano Reggiano. Instead of Parmigiano Reggiano opt for a vegetarian parmesan as Parmigiano Reggiano contains animal rennet.
- For those with dietary restrictions or preferences, this recipe can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
- You can also serve this dish without pasta as a delicious side dish.
Nutrition
Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 558IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg