Summer is the height of bell pepper season
(or pepper to use the generic that includes sweet and spicy varieties).
That is why it is the best time to use them in delicious recipes -for example, stuffed or also canned or roasted that adapt to various dishes- for
a much more accessible price (at least half the price) than in winter.
Both bell peppers and all peppers are sensitive to frost and need heat for flowers to form and then fruit to develop.
In our country its production extends from the province of Jujuy to Río Negro.
The harvesting of the peppers starts when the fruits have their normal size.
They can be harvested green or when they take color, either red or yellow.
The sweet pepper is eaten fresh.
There are varieties that are dried to make paprika and ground chili.
They are also used to make dressings and preserves: for example, the traditional chili peppers in vinegar and oil.
What is the difference between pepper, chili and bell pepper
Summer is full season of bell peppers.
Photo: Unsplash
According to the Argentine Food Code (Article 874), with the name of pepper, the fruits of many varieties of the genus Capsicum annuum L. are understood.
The sweet varieties
(rounded or square, called bell peppers)
and the spicy ones
(elongated or chili peppers, also called chiles and chillies).
Peppers
are very diverse
in shapes, flavors, colors, and sizes.
There are two large categories according to its itch:
Sweet varieties
(commonly called "morrones"): are those grown for fresh consumption, both outdoors and in greenhouses.
They have a diversity of sizes, but the most widespread are large and meaty.
In our country the most widespread type is the Lamuyo, for fresh consumption, and the Calahorra type for the canning industry.
They are harvested green or red, depending on the point of maturity.
And depending on that they will be more or less bitter or sweeter.
The yellow ones are another variety, but very similar in taste.
Hot peppers.
Photo: Unsplash
Peppers are also cultivated for paprika, especially in the Argentine Northwest.
Spicy varieties
(commonly called “ajíes” or “chiles”): the fruits have many different shapes, they are long and thin, very small or larger and rounded.
Within this category is located, for example, the species Capsicum frutescens, with small and very spicy fruits known as "chili" or chillies (the "tabasco" chili pepper belongs to this species).
How to make stuffed bell peppers
When choosing a bell pepper to fill,
its color does not matter too much.
Just keep in mind that the acidity is higher in greens than in reds.
As they mature, the bell peppers increase the concentration of vitamin C and beta-carotene.
When buying them
you have to choose the firmest, meatiest, brightest in color and with the skin without bruises.
If the bell pepper is fresh, the stem is green.
The peppers can be cut in half for stuffing.
A fundamental step: clean them well before starting to cook.
You have to remove the heart and its membranes because they can be annoying and bitter.
Also veins and seeds.
If the pepper is not very large, it can be done by pressing with the thumb and avoiding the knife.
The bell peppers
can be put in the oven with the filling inside
so that they do not lose consistency.
Being stronger, they do not fall apart.
In this type of dish, the pepper plays a clear role as an edible container and can be baked for more than an hour.
The more rounded ones are placed upright
(the upper part is cut off and placed as a lid), and
the elongated ones are cut in half and the two halves are stuffed.
With information from La Vanguardia
The best recipes with bell peppers
Bell peppers stuffed with minced meat
Bell peppers stuffed with minced meat.
Photo: Shutterstock.
Look at the step by step of the bell peppers stuffed with minced meat
Grilled stuffed bell peppers
Grilled stuffed bell peppers.
Photo: Shutterstock.
Look at the step by step of grilled stuffed bell peppers
roasted bell peppers
Roasted bell peppers
Photo: courtesy @brucegrillstation
Look at the step by step of the roasted Morrones
canned bell peppers
Canned bell peppers.
Look at the step by step of canned bell peppers
Fettuccine with bell pepper
Fettuccine with bell pepper.
Photo: @angie.cocina
Look at the step by step of the Fettucine to the bell pepper
Brochette of meat, bell pepper and other vegetables
Meat and vegetable brochette.
Look at the step by step of the Brochette of meat, bell pepper and other vegetables
bell pepper hummus
Bell pepper hummus.
Look at the step by step of the bell pepper hummus
Bell peppers stuffed with ricotta and pistachios
Bell peppers stuffed with ricotta and pistachios.
Photo: Ruben Digilio.
Look at the step by step of the Stuffed Morrones
Ham and bell pepper pizza
Ham and bell pepper pizza.
Photo: Unsplash.
Look at the step by step of the Pizza with ham and bell peppers
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