Chilli peppers with anchovy and caper filling
Cherry chilli peppers are a traditional speciality from Piedmont. They can be filled either with anchovies and capers or with tuna. Preparing them is easy, but time-consuming. Each pepper has to be stripped of its seeds, washed and dried. They are then blanched in water and vinegar and left to dry again, before being filled. This type of chilli pepper is spicy yet sweet – and the sweetness almost always overrides the spiciness. However, the piquancy varies significantly from pepper to pepper, so you might find hot ones and sweet ones in the same batch.
They are princely hors d’oeuvres and the perfect accompaniment to mature cheeses (hard or semi-hard), charcuterie and even fish.
The territory: the Roero Valley
From a more recent geological formation than the Langa, the Roero is a land made up largely of woods and orchards, especially peach trees. The few towns and villages found in the area are precariously perched on narrow strips of land. Also a wine growing area, it produces sublime white wines like Arneis Roero d.o.c.g. and Moscato d’Asti d.o.c.g. , as well as fruit.
Scattered with Baroque churches and castles, like the Langa Valley, it has also been the subject of territorial disputes between neighbouring towns.
Have you tried Chilli peppers with Anchovies and Capers? Tell us what you think in the comments section!
