Piperies Florinis are red long sweet peppers, named after the prefecture of Florina, in Norther Greece, where they are produced.
I read that these Florina red sweet peppers have been growing in Florina for centuries and date back to antiquity. They were probably brought back to Macedonia from India by the descendants of the troops of Alexander the Great.
I love grilling these peppers in the oven and then they are easily peeled, seeds removed and remain with a succulent thick wall. They have a lovely sweet flesh and flavour and are absolutely delicious.
Red Peppers are a great source of vitam C, double the quantity found in citrus. Vitamin C is important as it helps absord the iron and calcium and other amino acids. They also contain vitamin A, lycopene and beta carotene.
These peppers have a succulent thick wall, and are easy to peel after pan roasting. They have an absolutely delicious, rich ripe pepper flavor, full-bodied and not overly sweet.
This recipe goes to Simona, of Briciole, who is hosting this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn and now managed by Haalo.
To roast Peppers
12 Florinis peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
Piperies Florinis Dip, recipe by Ivy
(makes about 3 cups)
Ingredients:
12 roasted, skinned and deseeded peppers
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 – 3 large cloves garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
See how to roast Piperies Florinis here.
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
I made this bread and dip at the beginning of May. The 1st of May was on Saturday and as it is a public holiday, on Friday we had to buy bread for three days. As I didn’t want to eat stale bread on Sunday, I wanted to make bread myself and after google searching for recipes, I decided to make this easy ciabatta.
Ciabatta which is an Italian bread from the region of Liguria and in Italian ciabatta literally means “carpet slipper” is made with wheat flour and yeast. The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish and, like a slipper, should be somewhat collapsed in the middle.
I used a bread flour I bought from my local bakery, called “starenio” in Greece and which is a yellowish like semolina hard wheat floor.
The bread had a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and was light to the touch. Ciabatta is also perfect for making sandwiches which are known as panini.
I followed the directions given in the video and left the bread for 14 hours to rest (instead of 16). The next day after shaping the bread, I left it for two hours to rise and baked it for about 45 minutes.
No knead Ciabatta Bread
Makes: 1 bread (700 grams)
Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour (500 grams)
42 grams fresh yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
2 cups lukewarm water
Directions:
See the video for step by step instructions.
To serve:
Cut slices of ciabatta, place them on a baking tin and roast them in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. While the bread is still hot, add some Red pepper dip and crumble some feta on top, sprinkle some oregano and put back in the oven for 2 – 3 more minutes.
For those following the Mediterranean Diet, if you want to cut down the calories and avoid eating protein, after roasting the bread, you can still enjoy it by only spreading some pepper dip on top.
Serve while still hot!
Aparna
Friday 4th of June 2010
Who doesn't love no-knead bread? :) Interesting about those peppers. Difficult to believe they're not spicy. Here, its only the really big peppers that are sweet. :) My recent post Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Garlic Knots With Parsley And Olive Oil
Lazaro
Friday 4th of June 2010
Wonderful post. Love the sweet red pepper dip. Look forward to following you here!
Cheers!
Cheryl
Friday 4th of June 2010
I'm so glad you posted a recipe for the dip. I love Florinis! I will try making the bread soon. BTW...I just used your pizza crust recipe the other day. The kids love pizza with that crust. Have a nice weekend Ivy! My recent post A Trip to the Market
lisaiscooking
Friday 4th of June 2010
The pepper dip look fantastic. I love the look of the peppers themselves too. Sounds delicious with your homemade bread. My recent post Soup Peddler, What Are You Reading?
Teresa
Thursday 3rd of June 2010
Hola Ivy. I've missed talking to you but I try to keep up with you on fb. I love peppers and these sound delicious. And that no-knead bread sounds ike something I would definitely like to try. My hands don't always feel like kneading, so this sounds perfect. Big hugs querida amiga.