Rachel Ruddy’s recipe for stuffed red peppers with orzo, tuna, capers and herbs | Italian food and drink

CWe must overcome the difficult rush of Viale Marconi, On the quieter street Girolamo Cardano, there is a famous bakery called Albanese Il Forno delle Meravigli“, which means “oven.” [or bakery] “One of the wonders.” Established by Aldo Albanese in 1959, and now run by his sons Adriano and Alessandro, Albanese is also impressive for its size. Behind an 11-window storefront lies a store of approximately 500 square metres, a small maze of laboratories in which almost everything there is to make is made: bread, pizza, pies, cakes, biscuits, fresh egg pasta and sauces, baked pasta and other ready-to-eat dishes. The glass-fronted snake also stocks cheese and other dairy products, cured meats, vegetables and olives preserved in various ways, while the shelves are filled with daily provisions of good quality and practicality. This is a store that has something for everyone.

It also sells Asini D babyIt is a small peppercorn-shaped pasta made from durum wheat Pastinaanother small pasta often used in soups or for stuffing vegetables. Acini di Pepe was the reason we first visited the shop six years ago, on the recommendation of a colleague, and at the time I was writing A book about pasta Hence I try to get my hands on as many shapes as possible. On that first visit I bought astral (stars), com. alphabeto, Pontin (points) and Raissouniof course, which is pretty much the same form as orzo, but it’s not called orzo in Italy, because that word means “barley.”

I know I’m repeating myself when I say that pasta bags are the most satisfying pasta bags you can take off the rack and slide in your hand, because they slide in the same way a beanbag does when it meets the butt. I also like to measure out small pasta shapes, place them on a scale, or, if I’m sure enough, directly into a pot of boiling water. To make this week’s recipe, you need 300g of any small pasta shape (peppers, stars, letters, dots, orzo) to fill eight red pepper boats. You also need to cook the pasta for half the recommended cooking time, then drain well and distribute, if possible: you don’t want it to keep cooking, because it has to spend another 40 minutes in the oven.

Peppers can be eaten right away, but they will keep happy for hours or even days; Just keep them in the fridge if the wait is longer than a few hours, and remember to take them out beforehand. They’re great for eating at room temperature (or reheating quickly), especially after a long day.

Red peppers stuffed with orzo, tuna, capers and herbs

serves 4

4 medium red Or/and yellow pepperall even in size
300 grams orzoor any other very small pasta shape
Extra virgin olive oil
Obesity
1 red onionPeeled and cut into cubes
1 Garlic clovePeeled and chopped
1 bunch of fresh parsleyminced
1 medium sized tomato– Or a number of finely chopped cherry tomatoes
100 grams of canned tuna in olive oildrained
1 heaped tablespoon Small capers
2 anchovy filletsminced

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise through the stems, scoop out the seeds and remove any white pith inside. Boil the orzo in salted water for half the recommended cooking time (if it suggests, say, 10 minutes, cook it for just five minutes), then drain well.

In a frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and a little butter, then fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the cooked orzo, parsley, tomatoes, tuna, capers and anchovies, then taste and season with salt as needed (it probably won’t need much) and generously with black pepper.

Fill the pepper boats almost to the brim with the orzo mixture and arrange them snugly in a suitable baking pan. Place three tablespoons of water and three tablespoons of oil in the bottom of the pan, cover loosely but completely with aluminum foil, and bake for 40 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes. Before serving, finish by drizzling each pepper with a drizzle of olive oil, spoon them over some melted butter and anchovies, or thin some basil pesto with extra virgin olive oil, then drizzle over the peppers and cover each pepper half with a basil leaf.