Elizabeth David’s Piedmont roast peppers (via Delia Smith)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 10:28PM 
I have come backwards to arrive at this post; normally when writing about someone else’s recipe I would test it and then discuss how it worked. In this case I made the dish first and then went in search of the recipe. Perhaps I should explain...
Last year I went for dinner at the house of some family friends who live nearby. As the starter, Lynne served a selection of antipasti which included the most delicious roast peppers I had ever tasted; they were so good that I cannot remember any of the other antipasti, and this coming from someone who annoys people (read the boyfriend and previously the ex-boyfriend) by describing a restaurant not by where it was or what it looked like, but by what they and I each had for starters, mains and dessert.
I had made many a roast pepper in my time, but none matched up to these. All the usual subjects seemed to be there – garlic, basil, lashings of olive oil – but what made these one’s so special? I pressed Lynne for the answer: anchovies.
I must admit I was surprised when I found out. Not because it isn’t a wonderful idea, but because the flavour was so subtle, not a hint of fish. I should have known better really, long having used anchovies with capers as a rub for lamb; in that dish too the anchovies seem to melt into oblivion leaving behind a delectable, but not quite detectable flavour. Lynne told me that she got the recipe from Delia Smith and I didn’t question her any further, the mystery was solved.
Since then I have made this dish many times, either as a standalone starter or as part of an antipasti as Lynne did, in both cases served with crusty bread to mop up those heavenly juices.
I am not going to write out the recipe in full because, as I just discovered, you can find it here, on Delia’s website. And despite never having looked at it before just now, it seems that the way I have been making it is much the same.
You will notice in the pictures that on this occasion I have not left the stalks in, as the original recipe; this is not a matter of preference, but rather because the peppers I used were going bad and were bruised around the top. I agree with Delia that leaving them in looks good and would usually have done so.
There is, however, one important difference; although you will see in my picture that I cooked 3 tomatoes as well, this was just because there were 3 people dining and only 2 peppers. I was unaware that tomatoes had ever featured in the original recipe, cooked inside the pepper no less. My recipe was based on how I had it at Lynne’s and there were no tomatoes involved in her dish. I have enjoyed it as such ever since, but I now that I have seen this I am certainly going to try it.
I will let you know how it goes...
Reader Comments (3)
I tried this out as a starter combined with salami and chorizo. I followed Delia's recipe to the letter.It was really easy and pretty good, but I can see how I can improve on it next time : I would make sure I bought tomatoes with great flavour instead of the co op cheapos; I would use best quality olive oil instead of second rate cooking variety;I would double the amount of anchovy per serving.
Thanks for the feedback, Ma. I guess this is the problem with my having linked to Delia's recipe, but never actually followed it to the letter. I thought this was such a simple recipe that not much could go wrong. I think using good quality ingredients goes without saying, but your point about the anchovies is an interesting one. In the past I think I have used approximately one anchovy per pepper, which I note is the same as the original recipe, but I have never done the tomatoes inside. This means there would be double the quantity of vegetable than I am used to, in which case, I think your suggestion is a sensible one.
I discovered Elizabeth David when I first moved to England for my post-graduate work - 1976 seems like a lifetime ago. I made Elizabeth David’s roast pepper recipe for many years- not the one from her book Mediterranean Food 🍱 but the one from Italian Food. This recipe includes a small slice of the very best sun-dried tomatoes in each pepper. The tomato must be of a variety preserved in the very best olive oil, as the tomato must be sweet and rich and plump.
Very good organic grape tomatoes will also work if they are very sweet.
However, it’s not true that green peppers don’t work in the recipe - in fact, the inclusion of different peppers is a treat, the variety lends interest and contrast, both visually and in terms of flavor.
And yes you’re right - however, they are pad, they are quite unbelievably good.