Bell Pepper Timpano Recipe - Timpano di Peperoni

Cut the peppers into strips, removing and discarding ribs and seeds, and run the pieces under a broiler to blister the skins. Scrape off the skins, lightly saute the peppers, and put them in a colander to drain for an hour or two (or longer if you have the time).

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until it's just barely done (quite al dente, in other words).

While the water is heating, drain, seed, and chop the tomatoes. Sauté a clove of garlic in the quarter cup of olive oil, and when it begins to color add the tomatoes and minced herbs, going easy on the oregano. Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes, and in the meantime rinse, bone, pat dry and chop the anchovies. Mix them into the tomato sauce and turn off the burner.

As soon as the pasta is done drain it, stir it into the sauce, and heat everything through for a few minutes.

It is now time to assemble the timpano: Take an oven-proof dish large enough to hold the ingredients (you may want a spring-form pan), line it with oven paper, and then with the pieces of pepper (as if you were making a pie crust of them). Fill the dish with the pasta, cover it with the remaining peppers, dust them with the bread crumbs, drizzle a little olive over them, and cover the dish with another sheet of oven paper. Bake the timpano for about a half hour in a hot (380 F, 180 C) oven. When you remove it let it sit for 10 minutes, then carefully remove it from the pan, remove the paper, and serve.

Note: you can, if you like, use eggplant instead of peppers. You'll want about 4 pounds; slice them, salt them, let them sit for an hour, rinse them, pat them dry, and fry them. Then use them to line the dish and proceed as you would with the peppers.

A wine? White, and I might go with a Greco di Tufo.

Yield: 6-8 servings bell pepper timpano.