Montalbano’s peperoni arrosto – or the best way to cook red peppers

“…si arricriava a mangiare una generose porzione di peperoni arrosto che Adelina aveva lasciato in frigorifero”

Andrea Camillieri, La Forma Del Acqua

As regular readers of Saucy Dressings will know, I am a massive fan of detective books and I’m also a massive fan of all things Italian, so Commissario Montalbano, Camillieri’s Sicilian policeman is a double whammy for me! Actually, a triple whammy because he is a massive foodie in a healthily glutinous kind of way.

He can get away with it since he’s an avid swimmer (at least according to the television series). He’s also lucky in that he has a devoted housekeeper, Adelina, who leaves him painstakingly and exquisitely made dishes.

The quote above translates loosely as “he curled up to enjoy a generous portion of roasted peppers which Adelina had left him in the fridge”. But arrosto can also mean put under the grill, and that’s the method described by Stefania Campo in her collection of Montalbano recipes, The Secrets of Montalbano’s Table. I find I can control things better with a griddle, so that is the method used here. For another Montalbano recipe on Saucy Dressings, go to Inspector Montalbano’s Rabbit Cacciatore, Or Even Better, Chicken With Olives.

So the method might not be entirely authentic, but it certainly got the thumbs up from The Chief Taster, who commented,

“I think you’ve got this perfect. It’s not just the flavour, it’s the texture: they still have a bit of bite and they haven’t gone slimy.”

Here’s what to do.

Music to cook to

This is the opening music to the tv series of Montalbano.

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