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Italian Cuisine Expert and Food Blogger
Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
Compared to other Italian regions, the concept of cucina povera is most obvious in Puglia. Its cuisine is as rustic as it can get. Indeed, the region is a big player in agriculture, with farmlands going back hundreds of years. So it’s no wonder local cuisine often use fresh ingredients from the land. A perfect example of these is Peperoni alla leccese, which literally means Peppers in Lecce in English.
Peppers are one of the most common ingredients in Apulian cooking. However, this “hot” vegetable was not originally cultivated in Italy. It came from South America, Mexico in particular. It was brought to Southern Italy, particularly in Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria, by Spanish and Portuguese explorers. But once it reached Puglia, this spicy vegetable took over the region’s local cuisine in no time at all. This is especially because peppers are so easy to cultivate, not to mention they certainly add some bit of excitement on otherwise bland dishes.
Over the years, however, peppers went from being an additional ingredient in traditional dishes to taking center stage. Examples of Puglian dishes with peppers for main ingredient are
In some versions, cooks add red wine vinegar to the list of ingredients. They use it to soak the bread and add even more flavor to the dish. Compared to other Italian regions, the concept of cucina povera is most obvious in Puglia. Its cuisine is as rustic as it can get. Indeed, the region is a big player in agriculture, with farmlands going back hundreds of years. So it’s no wonder local cuisine often use fresh ingredients from the land. A perfect example of these is Peperoni alla leccese, which literally means Peppers in Lecce in English.
Buon appetito!
Other Italian side dishes:
Question about the recipe. Is it cubes of pepper or strips? The picture looks like strips. Breadcrumbs that I am thinking of is the fine breadcrumbs used for toppings or is it more like stuffing bread crumbs? Thanks in advance!
Ciao! Yes, It’s strips of pepper. As per the breadcrumbs, in Italy we usually make our own breadcrumbs by grating pieces of old stale bread. Here in the US I have found very helpful using the food processor to make breadcrumbs, it’s definitely faster than grating by hand. In general, you want to use fine breadcrumbs.
This is another way to cook peppers… and it’s yummy! Pepperoni alla leccese will surely make you full and crave some more. My husband loves the peppers. Thank you nonna box for the recipe… I love all your recipes.