Earlier this week we introduced you to peperoni cruschi. Now the exploration continues. From friends in Maierà – where the famous Peperoncino Museum is located – we were invited to a restaurant where those crispy peppers were just one of many delicious appetizers. Since we were so enthusiastic about them, our friends gave us a treccia of dried Dolce Calabrese …
Spaghetti con Peperoni Cruschi
A specialty of the southern Italian Basilicata region are their mild, bright red Peperoni di Senise. Once dried, they are used ground as a mild but flavorful powder, but also fried until crispy, then called “Peperoni Cruschi” (pronounced crusskee).
Peperoni Cruschi | Crunchy Treat for Pepper Lovers
If you are not just looking for the hottest peppers, you’ll find a flavorful specialty at the other end of the Scoville scale in southern Italy: Peperoni Cruschi .
Chile Pepper Starter Hack: Ice Cube Trays
You too can start chile pepper seedlings in an ice cube tray, just like this.
Spicy Truffles
Here is Harald Zoschke’s recipe for truffles. He notes: “If you are a chocoholic (like me), and like it spicy (like me), you’ll love these melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles. They have a pleasant zing, which you will notice shortly after you taste the nice chocolate-fruit flavor. Best of all, this is a truffle recipe that’s easy to prepare! Melting the chocolate in a bowl over hot water is necessary because it would burn easily with direct heat, rendering it useless. Also, avoid even smallest amounts of water getting in contact with your melted chocolate; it would get lumpy, and you would have to start over, melting fresh chocolate.”
Grilled Sausageplants!
My wife Renate and I have lived in Italy for two years now, but we still keep finding new veggies at the local farmers’ markets. Like these eggplants, which would be more appropriately named sausage plants! In Italy they’re called “melanzane perline”, or just “melanzane lungo”.
Greek Lollipops
This recipe is a classic in German BBQ forums (I believe credit may go to Thorsten in Wesel). It goes like this: Brushed with olive oil, thinly sliced zucchini strips are softened on the grill.
