cherry peppers

You can use this sauce — spicy and fragrant and slightly syrupy, what the Italians call agrodolce — on pork chops as I call for here, or on <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020700-veal-chops-in-cherry-pepper-sauce">veal chops</a>, on steaks, on chicken. I bet it’d be good on grilled seitan or drizzled over tofu. The recipe is reminiscent of the cooking at red-sauce emporia like Bamonte’s in Brooklyn, Rao’s in Manhattan, Dominick’s in the Bronx and, I hope, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-carbone-in-manhattan.html">Carbone</a> in Greenwich Village, where I first learned how to put it together at the elbow of the chef Mario Carbone. Serve with spaghetti dressed in butter and Parmesan, with garlic bread, with a spoon so you can slurp what’s left on the plate. “It’s a flavor that’s purely Italian-American,” Carbone told me. “You won’t find it in Italy, no way.”

Pork Chops in Cherry-Pepper Sauce

(16-ounce) cherry peppers

olive oil

garlic cloves,

dry white wine

salt and black pepper,

bone-in pork chops,

neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed

salted butter

flat-leaf parsley,

Make the sauce: Drain the cherry peppers, reserving 1 cup brine, then stem, halve, core and seed them. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and swirl the olive oil into it. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic, and sauté, stirring frequently, until it begins to color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peppers, the reserved brine and the white wine, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid has reduced by slightly more than half, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. (The sauce can be made a few hours ahead of time.)

When you’re ready to cook the meat, season it aggressively with salt and pepper. Place a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, and swirl the neutral oil into it. When the oil begins to shimmer, place the meat in the pan, working in batches if needed, and sear until the meat has browned, formed something of a crust and cooked through to medium-rare, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer the chops to a warmed platter.

Add the sauce to the large, heavy-bottomed skillet in which you seared the meat, and warm over medium-low heat. Whisk the butter into the sauce until evenly distributed and the sauce develops a velvety sheen. Spoon sauce over chops, and garnish with parsley.

In the spring of 2016, my most favorite sandwich was fried eggplant, mozzarella and roast beef on an Italian hero, with hot peppers and a slash of mayonnaise. I adapted the recipe from a sandwich served at Defonte’s Sandwich Shop, on Columbia Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It is a beautiful torpedo of food, crunchy, silken, sweet and spicy all at once. You can certainly omit the roast beef to make it vegetarian or at any rate a little smaller, the sort of meal that offers satisfaction without hurting anyone, that delivers deliciousness at a lower cost to the body that consumes it. It is still a colossal feed. It is still the best sandwich.

The Best Fried-Eggplant Sandwich

smallish Italian eggplants, roughly 1 1/2 pounds total

salt

eggs

Parmesan cheese

hero rolls

mayonnaise

mozzarella cheese,

roast beef (optional)

hot cherry peppers,

Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with paper towels. Trim stem end from eggplants, then peel and discard skin. Using a knife or a mandoline, slice the eggplant lengthwise into 3/16-inch-thick slabs. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides of eggplant with salt. Let stand for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Pat eggplant dry with paper towels, and stack on a plate.

Discard the wet paper towels, and replace them in the sheet pan with more, then place a wire rack on top. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmery. Working in batches, fry the eggplant slabs until just tender, approximately 30 to 40 seconds per side. Transfer fried eggplant to rack to drain. Remove skillet from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and grated Parmesan. Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat until the oil is hot again.

Working in batches, dip drained eggplant into egg batter, then fry in oil until puffed, lightly golden and cooked through, approximately 2 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer fried eggplant to rack to drain. You can cook the eggplant in advance of assembling sandwiches. Covered, it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, though the eggplant is best at room temperature.

Assemble sandwiches. Cut the hero rolls open, then spread each one with mayonnaise. Layer the slices of eggplant onto the bread in equal portions, and top with equal portions of the mozzarella and the sliced roast beef. Add slices of hot cherry peppers to taste, fold the sandwich together and serve.

This dish was popularized by Joe Morelle in the late 1980s at the Chesterfield Restaurant in Utica, N.Y., where it is on the menu as greens Morelle. More widely known as Utica greens, it has become commonplace, in modified versions, in Italian restaurants throughout central New York, and even migrated to New York City, Las Vegas and Florida. This version of the dish is fairly spicy. Use fewer cherry peppers if you prefer it less hot. You will have leftover oreganato, the topping of bread crumbs and cheese; use it for another greens dish or add it to baked chicken or shrimp. Typically served in restaurants as an appetizer, Utica greens makes a great main course at home with some crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

Utica Greens

bread crumbs

Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

prosciutto

peppers

garlic,

black pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated,

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, prepare the oreganato: Mix the oil, bread crumbs and cheese until well blended. It should have the texture of moist beach sand. Set aside.

When the water is boiling, blanch the greens until they are nearly limp but still a little firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plunge them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove and drain them well in a colander or salad spinner, allowing them to remain moist but not dripping wet. Squeeze just a little of the moisture from them, then chop them into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.

Heat the broiler. Coat a large pan with the olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the prosciutto, cherry peppers and garlic until the prosciutto is browned and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. (Lower heat slightly if garlic begins to brown too quickly.) Add the chopped greens to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir to mix well.

Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1/2 cup of the oreganato. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently to blend, scraping the bottom of the pan to keep the oreganato from burning.

Sprinkle another 1/4 cup oreganato atop the greens. (Save leftover oreganato for use in another greens dish, or add it to baked chicken or shrimp.) Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the top browns, about 2 minutes. Remove from the broiler and sprinkle a bit more cheese on the dish. Serve immediately.

You can use this sauce — spicy and fragrant and slightly syrupy, what the Italians call agrodolce — on veal chops as I call for here, or on <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020701-pork-chops-in-cherry-pepper-sauce">pork chops</a>, on steaks, on chicken. I bet it’d be good on grilled seitan or drizzled over tofu. The recipe is reminiscent of the cooking at red-sauce emporia like Bamonte’s in Brooklyn, Rao’s in Manhattan, Dominick’s in the Bronx and, I hope, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-carbone-in-manhattan.html">Carbone</a> in Greenwich Village, where I first learned how to put it together at the elbow of the chef Mario Carbone. Serve with spaghetti dressed in butter and Parmesan, with garlic bread, with a spoon so you can slurp what’s left on the plate. “It’s a flavor that’s purely Italian-American,” Carbone told me. “You won’t find it in Italy, no way.”

Veal Chops in Cherry-Pepper Sauce

bone-in veal chops,

Lacking the cult status of ripe summer tomatoes or the esoteric cachet of watermelon radishes and purslane, peppers may be one of the season’s least celebrated vegetables. Though their charms are many, my favorite is their stuffable shape. The heat of the cherry pepper varies from fiery to mellow, though the riper red ones tend to be sweeter and none are as spicy as the jalapeño. Arrange them on a platter for the cocktail hour. They are supple and jewel-like, and incredibly easy to make.

Cherry Pepper Poppers

cherry peppers, a mix of red and green is nice

balsamic vinegar

wine vinegar

extra virgin olive oil, more if needed

basil

rosemary

garlic cloves, smashed

cheese

Using a paring knife, trim tops off peppers and cut out their centers, including seeds and veins.

In a quart jar (or one just large enough to hold the peppers), combine vinegars and salt, and stir well to dissolve salt. Add oil, herbs and garlic.

Cut cheese into cubes just large enough to fit into peppers. Wrap cheese cubes in prosciutto and stuff into peppers. Drop stuffed peppers into jar. If dressing does not cover peppers, top off with more oil. Cover jar, shake well and refrigerate overnight before serving. Poppers will last about a week in refrigerator.

For his cherry pepper ribs recipe, Mario Carbone slow-cooks brined pork spareribs, finishes them over the grill, then tops them with a mix of fresh and pickled hot cherry peppers for an Italian American riff on a BBQ classic.

Carbone’s Cherry Pepper Ribs

sugar

lemon,

garlic head,

black peppercorns

1¾ tsp. crushed red chile flakes

4-lb. pound rack spare ribs

fennel seed

1½ tsp. crushed red chile flake

brown sugar

garlic powder

onion powder

oregano

olive oil,

red wine vinegar

cherry

cabbage

To a large pot over high heat, add 2 quarts water and the salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add 2 quarts cool water, the lemon and garlic halves, and the black peppercorns and chile flakes, then transfer the brine to a large enough container in which to submerge the meat. Add the ribs to the brine, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 6 and up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile, make the spice rub: In a spice grinder or small food processor, grind the fennel seeds and chile flakes to a fine powder. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the brown sugar, garlic and onion powders, and oregano, and set aside.

Make the roasted garlic glaze: Preheat the oven to 300°F. To a small ovenproof pot or baking dish, add the olive oil and garlic, adding more oil as needed to fully submerge the cloves. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake until the garlic is golden and very tender when poked with a fork, about 1 hour.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven and set it aside to cool to room temperature. Transfer the garlic cloves to a cutting board and, using a chefs knife, smash and chop to a fine paste. Reserve both the garlic paste and the garlic-infused oil.

In a small pot over medium heat, stir together the sugar and red wine vinegar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced in volume by half and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and stir in the roasted garlic paste. Set the glaze aside.

Cook the ribs: Turn the oven down to 275°F. Arrange a few long layers of plastic wrap over a large work surface. Transfer the ribs to the plastic wrap, discarding the brine. Sprinkle the spice rub all over the rack, turning a few times to completely coat. Wrap the plastic up and around the ribs tightly, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil.

Transfer the packet of ribs to a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until the meat is tender when poked with a knife, but not yet falling off the bone, about 2½ hours. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside without unwrapping until cool enough to handle, 15–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat a grill, grill pan, or broiler to cook over (or under) medium heat.

Working over the baking sheet to catch any accumulated juices, remove and discard both the foil and the plastic wrap. Pat the cooked ribs dry with paper towels and transfer to a clean, dry cutting board.

Using a sharp chefs knife, cut straight down between each bone to divide the rack into individual ribs. Brush each rib lightly with the reserved garlic-infused oil. If finishing under the broiler, arrange the ribs in a single layer on a dry baking sheet.

A few minutes before you plan to serve the ribs, grill or boil them, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over, about 10 minutes. Brush generously with the reserved glaze and continue cooking until the glaze is sticky and lightly caramelized, 5–7 minutes more. Transfer to a platter, top with fresh and pickled chiles, and serve the cherry pepper ribs hot, with coleslaw or shredded cabbage on the side, if desired.

Top 6 cherry peppers recipes from across the web

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Pork Chops in Cherry-Pepper Sauce

The Best Fried-Eggplant Sandwich

Utica Greens

Veal Chops in Cherry-Pepper Sauce

Cherry Pepper Poppers

Carbone’s Cherry Pepper Ribs

Top 6 cherry peppers recipes from across the web

The most viewed cherry peppers recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Pork Chops in Cherry-Pepper Sauce

The Best Fried-Eggplant Sandwich

Utica Greens

Veal Chops in Cherry-Pepper Sauce

Cherry Pepper Poppers

Carbone’s Cherry Pepper Ribs

The most viewed cherry peppers recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine