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Peperoni cruschi
Peperoni cruschi: Basilicata's crisp fried sun-dried sweet peppers
In late summer the villages around Senise, in southern Basilicata, hang long garlands of thin red peppers from balconies to dry in the sun. Once dried, a few seconds in hot oil turns them into peperoni cruschi: glassy, brittle and sweet with a faint smoky note, eaten like crisps or crumbled over pasta, beans, fried eggs and mashed potatoes. Lucanians call them their red gold and keep a jar of them on the table all winter. Chef's tip: get the oil hot but not smoking and count to five; the colour should stay bright red.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Wipe 12 dried sweet red peppers (peperoni di Senise) with a dry cloth. Snap off the stalks and shake out the seeds. Leave them whole, or cut them into 3–4 cm pieces if your pan is small.
Step 2: Heat ¾ cup olive oil or sunflower oil in a small, deep frying pan over a medium heat to about 350°F, until a piece of pepper sizzles and floats at once.
Step 3: Fry the peppers 2 or 3 at a time for 3–5 seconds, pushing them under with a slotted spoon, until they puff, crinkle and turn a brighter red. Common mistake: frying too long or in smoking oil; they go brown in seconds and taste bitter.
1 minStep 4: Lift out onto kitchen paper straight away and sprinkle with ½ tsp flaky salt. They crisp up fully as they cool, within a minute.
Step 5: Serve the same day. Keep the pepper-flavoured oil to dress pasta or beans.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does peperoni cruschi take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of dried sweet red peppers (peperoni di senise)?
- Any colour of bell pepper, same amount.
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