Dec 31, 2008 8:28 am US/Pacific
Tony Tantillo: Italian Banana Peppers
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CBS 2 HD food reporter Tony Tantillo.
CBS
Today's tip of the week is going to be with peppers, sweet banana peppers. They kinda almost look like… as a matter of fact I think they're the same thing as the Italian pepper.
Take a look at these banana peppers right here. By the way, they're not hot; they're a mild-like sweet pepper. I don't have to say they're hot even though they look like they might be hot and intimidating; you have to try them. Stuff them like Chile Rellenos, or sauté them; they're fantastic.
Come over here, let's talk about selection.
When you buy them you want to make sure they're free from any shriveling whatsoever. Just a little bit here is OK, but you want to make sure they're nice and smooth.
When you bring them home, oh one more thing, check the crown. You want to make sure the crown is free from any decaying whatsoever. When you bring them home, what you want to do simply is store them in the refrigerator right away.
Now they're a mild pepper, which means they have some sugar in there. The more sugar a produce item has, the less of a shelf life they have, so buy them and enjoy them within 3 – 5 days.
Sweet banana peppers, or Italian peppers; I see them in the market named as two different things. I'm going to do a scientific test on this, but I think they're all Italian peppers. For the sake of argument today, they're sweet banana peppers. Oh by the way, they're loaded with nutritional value.
Not because I'm Italian or anything, but I like the sound—Italian peppers.
Banana Wax Pepper Orzo
Serves 4
3 whole Banana Wax Peppers seeded de-veined and diced small
2 cups Orzo (Rice-shaped pasta)
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1 whole Maui Onion, or other sweet onion
2 tablespoons Roasted Organic Garlic minced *
2 whole Organic Red Bell Pepper seeded de-veined and diced small
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Italian Parsley minced
1½ cups Feta Cheese crumbled
Salt and Pepper to your taste
1. Fill a 4-quart kettle three-fourths full of salted water and bring to a boil for orzo. Chop onion and mince garlic.
2. In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic in oil over moderate heat until onion is softened. Add peppers, cover and remove skillet from heat.
3. Boil orzo until al dente and drain in colander. Then add the garlic, onions and peppers, parsley, feta, and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine well. Serve as a side dish with your favorite chicken or as a cool side at a BBQ.
* To roast garlic
1 head Organic Garlic
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
My Grinders Coarse Sea Salt to taste
My Grinders Rainbow Peppercorns to taste
1 piece Aluminum Foil
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. With a sharp knife, cut 1/3 off the top of the garlic head. Pour the olive oil over the cut end; season with salt and pepper and wrap in the foil.
3. Roast in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cloves are tender and soft; when done, carefully squeeze the cloves out of the head.
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