It is one of many popular recipes that replace meat with bread. It was not a vegetarian option ahead of its time, but an economic choice. Bread was one of those things that was never missing from the table, or almost never.

      The recipe uses bread as a cultural custom, one made from whole grains that grow on the plains of Foggia, which I would like to point out has always been considered the granary of Italy.

      In certain bourgeois circles, recipes for meatballs and stuffed foods call for meat scraps, and dozens of books have been written on the subject. In poor or rural areas, the problem of how to use leftover meat didn’t crop up. There were no leftovers.

      On the other hand, the abundance of other tasty ingredients meant that meat wasn’t actually missed in the dish.

      While perfect warm from the oven, these stuffed pepper rolls are also delicious served cold and they are a typical dish to bring on picnics or beach outings.

The recipe

Servings: 4

- 4 peppers, red and yellow

- 300 g of fresh bread crumbs

- 2 eggs

- 100 g of grated Pecorino cheese 

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 2 salted anchovies, rinsed

- 1 hot red pepper

- a handful of capers

- parsley

- fresh basil leaves

- salt

- pepper

- olive oil

      Chop the parsley, basil, hot red pepper, anchovies, garlic, and capers and mix them with bread crumbs. Add a little water till mixture becomes soft and mushy, and then add in eggs and cheese and season with salt and pepper.

      Roast the peppers in the oven, then peel and slice each one into three length-wise pieces.

      Put some stuffing on each slice of pepper and roll till it is closed. Place the rolls in a glass baking dish, drizzle them with olive oil, and bake at 180 degrees for about 1/2 hour.

Note:

The hot red pepper, garlic, and anchovy can be adjusted according to personal taste.