Columbus Cup’s featured dish is like a work of Italian art on a plate
Share
Stuffed peppers are not considered to be a very special dish. They can be found on the menu at most American diners. The usual form is a baked pepper, stuffed with ground beef and rice, then topped with a bit of tomato sauce.
But put stuffed peppers in the hands of a true Italian, one who cooks with the soul of Mother Italy, and this basic food becomes an art form. And that’s exactly what the committee members from the Americans of Italian Heritage Council did when it came time to select the Featured Dish for this year’s 20th version of the Columbus Cup event at Brookside Country Club in Pottstown.
They looked to Italy for a version of stuffed peppers that reflected the heritage of the native country.
Scouring the Italian culinary scene will produce a number of different styles of stuffed peppers – each extremely different from the American version.
One version features crumbled, dry Italian bread mixed with olive oil, fresh parsley, garlic, onion and finely chopped anchovies.
Another uses long green cubanelle peppers, sometimes called Italian frying peppers, stuffed with ground Italian sausage (out of the casing), assorted cheeses and Sardinian fregola pasta beads.
According to MasterChef Piero Ricci, who hosts the “Cooking with an Italian” videos, stuffed peppers are meant to be “an expression of art. They should be beautiful to look at, as well as delicious.”
His spinach and ricotta stuffed peppers creation certainly fits that description … and that’s why it has been chosen as the Featured Dish for this year’s Columbus Cup celebration.
“There is always a lot of discussion among
the committee members about the featured dish,” explained food committee chairman Frank Arcade. “Over the years we have revived
a lot of old-world recipes. Stuffed peppers have been a staple in Italian households forever. This year we honored that tradition, but added a bit of a different twist.”
The Columbus Cup – an entire day of Italian food, music, golf, wine and bocce – will be on Oct. 14 at Brookside Country Club, 850 N. Adams St., in Pottstown, Pa.
Spinach and ricotta stuffed peppers
Ingredients
(portion for 4 as a side dish or 2 as a vegetarian main dish)
2 red bell peppers, cut in half
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups fresh baby spinach (about 12 oz)
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
Directions
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Cut red bell peppers into halves and place skin side down in an oven-safe baking dish.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Flip and bake for another 5-10 minutes until fork tender.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
• Add salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg and stir well.
• Add spinach and stir for 1-2 minutes until wilted.
• Remove from heat and mix in ricotta cheese and 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella.
• Fill tender peppers with the spinach and ricotta mixture.
• Top with remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Premier Digital Partners
