The Halfghan Chef

Peperoni Verdi Ripieni (Puglia, Italy) (Recipe in comments) – Springtime arrives in the Bay Area after what has been a longer, colder, and wetter winter than is normally expected in California. Not complaining, of course; we desperately needed the water..

With the cessation of winter and the coming of Cali’s warm weather, I begin to conceptualize upcoming summer holidays whilst reflecting on holidays of summers-past. Of course meals and culinary delights regularly permeate and flood my mind like the deluges (i.e. Atmospheric Rivers) that inundated California these past many months.

One delectable culinary recollection that effortlessly comes to mind was something I prepared in Puglia the summer before last, Peperoni Verdi Ripieni (stuffed green peppers sautéed in tomato sauce) (pictured).

Stuffed peppers (and vegetables) are common in other cuisines, like Dolma in Afghan and Turkish cuisines and Dolmades in Greek cuisine. The filling ingredients used in these cultures’ stuffed vegetable dishes may be different, however, in my experience the result is often similar; delicious and extremely gratifying.

The Pugliese version is particularly tantalizing, incorporating breadcrumbs, parmesan and pecorino cheeses, garlic, capers, and parsley.

For me Peperoni Verdi Ripieni, like their Afghan, Turkish, and Greek cousins (Dolma and Dolmade), readily evoke wistful thoughts of the rapturous days of summertime and the Mediterranean. Cannot wait to return and experience the deliciousness once again..

Afghan Focaccia (or “Afghanaccia’) – As much as I dislike the term “fusion” when applied to gastronomy, there are moments when it is indeed the most expedient way to describe culinary pursuits. (Apologies in advance to anyone who finds the word as irritating as I do when applied to food!)

In this vein, although I acknowledge how trite breadmaking and particularly sourdough became in recent years, admittedly I too went fairly deep down that rabbit hole. I first embarked on the sourdough journey in London during that much-maligned period of restricted movement that many of us are now trying to forget, then in California since moving back last year.

I was obliged to abandon my London-based sourdough starter and start anew (pun very much intended here) in Cali. Thankfully I’ve been able to reinvigorate the process with renewed enthusiasm and churn out some delectable bread (and particularly sourdough) creations since moving.

One such recent breadmaking creation was a Focaccia I made that was partially influenced by Afghan Naan making techniques, which typically uses a sourdough starter. For the Focaccia I used a fairly standard recipe one finds in Puglia and other parts of Southern Italy, considered by many to be the provenance of the exquisitely light and airy bread. For my raising / leavening agent I used my Cali-based sourdough starter then garnished the bread with the same Nigella Seeds, Sesame Seeds, and coarse salt often used Afghan Naan. I even added some Za’atar for good measure (although Za’atar is not typically used in Afghan cuisine, many of its elements are).

The “fusion” result worked out well (sorry again for the use of that word here), and it totally complemented the Afghan feast I created the same night as the Afghan Focaccia, or Afghanaccia.

I will never be able to abandon good bread..