From May on there is a great ferment around the Neapolitan parule, the countryside where the sweetest summer delicacies grow: the green chillies.

Once their cultivation took place mainly around the fertile area of the Sebeto River and along the so-called “hortilizie” of Torre del Greco. Imagine the great bustle of ships in the XVII century, when they came even from Sorrento and Capri to get this precious vegetables with several names!

Friggitelli, friarelli, friarielli or puparulilli d’o Sciummo?

Friarelli or friggitelli are dialectal expressions that mean “something that is fried”. The main way to prepare this tasty chili pepper with a tapered shape and a pointed end is to fry it. When it comes to the use of the term friarielli (with an “i”), people from Campania are divided: in Naples, for example, with this word they only mean the inflorescences of the turnip greens. And that’s not all! There are also the expressions peperunciello or puparulill d’o sciummo (chillies from the river) referring to the great rivers along which this kind of pepper – with a sweet and intense flavor – is born. Today we will cook it according to the traditional recipe.

Green chillies with tomato sauce

The green chillies with tomato sauce are a tasty and substantial specialty from Campania to be enjoyed by itself or also as a second dish with a lot of crunchy bread!

Ingredients for 2 people:

400 g green chillies

10-15 cherry tomatoes

a clove of garlic

a few basil leaves

salt

extra virgin olive oil Antonio Amato

Recipe:

Wash well the green chillies, carefully removing the stalk and the seeds that would be unpleasant to eat. Remember to dry them very well with a cloth to prevent the oil from spurting and hurting you while frying. Then take a large pan and pour plenty of oil in it. Fry the green chillies for 6-7 minutes with the lid on top of the pan and keep a medium flame. When fried, dry the chillies with the absorbent paper.

Now take the cherry tomatoes, wash them and cut them into 4 pieces. You can brown them with a clove of garlic in the same pan of the green chillies, after removing the redundant oil. Add some basil leaves and salt to taste. After 5 minutes, add the green chillies and cook for another 2 minutes. Enjoy your meal!