An authentic Italian recipe from our kitchen to yours. Buon
Appetito!
Ingredients
- 8 medium bell peppers
- 1 large loaf day old, crusty bread (2 1/2 to 3 cups bread pieces)
- 6 ounces thick cut pancetta or bacon, diced
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped or broken into small pieces
- 8 large basil leaves, chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Directions
1.
Preheat
your
oven
to
400
degrees.
2.
Remove
the
crust
from
the
bread
and
reserve
it
for
another
use.
Either
tear
the
rest
of
the
bread
into
bite
size
pieces
or
cut
it
into
1-inch
cubes.
If
the
bread
is
not
stale,
spread
the
pieces
out
onto
a
baking
sheet
and
bake
the
bread
for
about
8 -
10
minutes.
Then
remove
the
bread
from
the
oven
and
set
it
aside.
It
should
be
lightly
toasted
but
still
soft
and
spongey.
If
the
bread
is
truly
stale,
place
the
bread
pieces
in a
bowl
and
add
1/2
to
3/4
cup
water.
Toss
the
bread
in
the
water
and
let
it
soak
for
about
5 -
7
minutes.
Then
drain
the
water
from
the
bread
and
set
the
bread
aside.
3.
Rinse
the
bell
peppers
and
clean
them
well.
Cut
the
tops
off
each
of
the
bell
peppers
and
remove
the
seeds
and
white
filments
from
inside
the
bell
peppers
as
well
as
their
tops.
If
the
peppers
are
large
enough
inside,
you
can
leave
them
as
they
are
so
that
they
can
be
filled
like
cups.
Alternatively,
you
can
slice
the
bell
pepper
open
by
cutting
one
side
or
you
can
cut
the
bell
pepper
in
half
to
make
it
easier
to
fill.
4.
Prepare
an
oven
safe
baking
dish
by
lining
it
with
parchment
paper.
Rub
the
exterior
of
the
bell
peppers
and
their
tops
with
extra
virgin
olive
oil
-
just
enough
so
that
they
are
glossy
on
the
outside
-
and
place
the
peppers
in
the
baking
dish.
Sprinkle
a
bit
of
salt
inside
each
of
the
peppers.
5.
In a
pan
over
medium
high
heat,
add
a
drizzle
of
olive
oil
and
the
diced
pancetta.
Saute
the
pancetta
until
it
begins
to
brown
and
the
fat
has
rendered
-
about
5 -
7
minutes.
6.
When
the
pancetta
has
finished
cooking
add
the
entire
contents
of
the
pan
into
a
mixing
bowl
along
with
the
pieces
of
bread.
Stir
the
ingredients
well
to
combine
them
ensuring
the
rendered
fat
from
the
pancetta
is
evenly
distributed
over
all
of
the
bread.
7.
Drizzle
a
small
amount
of
olive
oil
over
the
bread
and
pancetta
mixture
and
fold
the
ingredients
together
once
again.
8.
Finally,
add
the
chopped
basil
and
pieces
of
mozzarella
cheese
to
the
mixing
bowl.
Fold
the
ingredients
once
more
so
that
they
are
all
evenly
incorporated
thoughout.
Taste
the
mixture
and
add
salt,
pepper
and
any
additional
basil
and/or
olive
oil
to
suit
your
taste.
9.
Proceed
to
filling
the
peppers
with
this
mixture
until
all
of
the
mixture
is
used
and
the
peppers
are
sufficiently
filled.
10.
Place
the
tops
of
the
peppers
over
the
filled
peppers
or
place
them
near
the
filled
peppers
in
the
baking
dish.
11.
Cover
the
dish
with
aluminum
foil
and
place
the
dish
on
the
center
rack
of
the
oven.
Bake
the
peppers
for
30 -
45
minutes
or
until
they
are
sufficiently
soft
and
starting
to
brown.
If
the
peppers
are
thick,
they
will
take
longer
to
bake.
Thinner
peppers
will
require
less
baking
time.
12.
When
the
peppers
have
softened
well,
uncover
the
dish
and
bake
another
10
minutes
to
brown
the
stuffing.
13.
The
peppers
are
finished
baking
when
the
top
of
the
filling
is a
golden
brown
and
the
mozzarella
has
melted
throughout.
14.
Remove
the
dish
from
the
oven,
re-cover
it
and
let
it
cool
for
5 -
10
minutes
prior
to
serving.
