Revamping an Italian Favorite for Low Fodmap
Back in the seventies, I knew nothing about IBS or low fodmaps. We lived in Virginia, and all I cared about was finding authentic Italian ingredients. When my folks made a trip to Charlottesville, VA in a car loaded down with Italian food products, we rushed out to help bring in the giant metal hamper filled with a tremendous piece of parmigiana reggiano cheese, a crate of imported Italian plum tomatoes, lots of Italian cold cuts, veal galore and enough Italian bread to fill the freezer. That was then.
Time to Revamp Me Along With My Recipes
NOW, I know what caused all those random IBS attacks – high fodmap foods, insoluble fibrous foods and dairy products. I am forced to revamp all the foods I loved if I still want to eat them. Hence this food blog that reflects my revamping of Italian cooking for me and other IBS folks who love Italian food.
Use Italian Ingredients that Still Are Safe
Today, I choose only the low fodmap versions of Italian ingredients. Luckily my family recipe is easily converted to a low fodmap recipe. For example, for the tomato sauce, make sure you sauté the garlic in the olive oil and then remove it. Tomatoes are low fodmap as is basil, olive oil and even a little wine, should you want to use it in the tomato sauce. Olive oil is safe. GF Italian bread is safe or Italian sour dough bread is safe. So are olives, capers, tomato sauce made without garlic and onions, and well aged parmesan cheese.
So What Ingredients Aren’t low fodmap or IBS Safe?
The RED PEPPERS! Red peppers are low fodmap, but they are made of insoluble fiber which can play havoc with the IBS gut. However, by filling the peppers with bread stuffing, the fiber is cushioned somewhat, making it possible for IBS folk to eat it. Still, I am careful about only eating a small amount of the pepper and more of the stuffing.
Can You Substitute Another Veggie for Peppers?
If you fear eating the peppers, then feel free to substitute zucchini and stuff that with the bread stuffing. Cook it the exact same way and it will still be delicious.
INGREDIENTS:
4 firm, organic, sweet red peppers, tops cut off, cleaned out and dried
1 day old loaf of Italian bread (if wheat doesn’t bother you) or Italian sour dough or GF bread, round or long, with the crust removed
14 – 16 oil cured black olives, or pitted kalamata olives (olives are low fodmap)
1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese (parmesan cheese has no lactose)
1/2 jar imported capers, in vinegar (capers are fodmap safe)
1/4 cup mild olive oil (such as Filippo Berio ) for moistening bread stuffing
2 Tbsp. to 1/4 cup mild olive oil for frying peppers
2 – 3 cloves of fresh garlic, sautéed in the oil and then removed
1 small handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 small handful Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 cups fresh light tomato sauce – recipe for sauce below or use a brand you like
DIRECTIONS:
Light tomato sauce:
Put one large can of imported Italian plum tomatoes in a blender and blend for 30 seconds or so until the tomatoes are liquidated. In a heavy two quart saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp. of mild olive oil on medium high heat and when the oil is shimmering, throw in two or three cut up cloves of fresh garlic. Stir them around with a wooden spoon making sure they permeate the oil with flavor, turn slightly golden, but not brown. Then remove the garlic from the oil.
Throw in the blended tomatoes and stir them well. Throw in a handful of shredded basil, the finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to a simmer, partially cover the pan and simmer for thirty minutes. Ten minutes before the sauce is done, add more shredded basil. Turn off sauce at end of 30 minutes and let rest while making the stuffed peppers.
Directions for Stuffed Peppers:
Wash and dry the peppers. Cut off the tops and clean out the seeds. Pat dry the insides and outside with a paper towel. Set aside while making the stuffing.
Using a large serrated bread knife, cut the crust off the loaf of bread. Pull it apart into chunks and place them, 1/3 at a time, into a food processor. Pulse the chunks until they make large fresh bread crumbs.
Place the fresh bread crumbs into a large mixing bowl.
Hand pit the oil-cured olives and cut in two. If using already pitted olives, just cut them in two. Place olives in the bowl with the bread. Drain the capers, reserving 2 or more Tbsps. of the liquid. Add the capers and reserved liquid to bowl of bread and olives. Sprinkle on the chopped parsley and shredded basil. Add the grated cheese.
Pour over the mixture either 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, or 2 Tbsp. olive oil and enough mild broth to slightly moisten the stuffing. With your hands, toss the stuffing until everything is well combined and the stuffing is lightly moistened thru out. You might want to add more olive oil or broth or olive oil spray. Check for salt and pepper. Season to taste. Toss mixture again.
Fill the peppers almost to the top with the bread stuffing. Set them aside while you heat up your Dutch oven.
In a heavy Dutch oven , heat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium high heat until oil is shimmering. Carefully lower each stuffed pepper into the pan and then turn each one one its side to brown using tongs or even your fingers holding onto the firm side of the pepper as you turn. Let each side brown slightly. Turn three or four times to make sure each side has browned slightly.
Stand up the peppers in the pan, right side up and add the tomato sauce to the pan, letting it bubble up around the peppers. Spoon a few spoonfuls onto the top of the peppers. Turn heat down to simmer, partially cover the pot and simmer the peppers for 15 minutes on top of the stove.
Take off the cover and finish cooking by baking in a 350º oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until peppers seem done and tops are crusty and brown. Take out of oven and let cool.
You can leave these out covered with wax paper until ready to serve at room temperature, or you can let them cool and then place in a tupperware in the fridge where they will keep for several days. Some people even freeze them, but since I never have, I can’t say how they would turn out.
Save the tomato sauce at the bottom of the pan to serve with the peppers. It is thickened by some of the stuffing and tastes very rich.
You can lighten up the original recipe by using less olive oil and more broth to moisten the stuffing and you can brown the peppers in less oil too. Also, Italian bread is usually made without fat, so it is not as hard on your diet as other breads. I have not done the calorie count, but when I make the light version of this recipe, I will include it.
In the meantime, make these peppers, bring them to a potluck, and wait for the raves!!
Low Fodmap Stuffed Red Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 firm organic, sweet red peppers, tops cut off, cleaned out and dried
- 1 day old loaf of Italian sour dough or Italian GF bread round or long, crust removed
- 14 - 16 oil cured black olives pitted by hand or pitted kalamata olives
- 1/2 jar imported capers in vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil for moistening bread stuffing
- 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup mild olive oil for frying peppers
- 2 - 3 cloves of fresh garlic sauteed in oil and removed
- 1 small handful of fresh basil leaves shredded
- 1 small handful Italian parsley leaves finely chopped
- 2 cups fresh light tomato sauce
Instructions
- Stuffed Peppers
- Wash and dry the peppers. Cut off the tops and clean out the seeds. Pat dry the insides and outside with a paper towel. Set aside while making the stuffing.
- Using a large serrated bread knife, cut the crust off the loaf of bread. Pull it apart into chunks and place them, 1/3 at a time, into a food processor. Pulse the chunks until they make large fresh bread crumbs. Place the fresh bread crumbs into a large ceraminc bowl.
- Hand pit the oil-cured olives and cut in two. If using already pitted kalamata, just cut them in two. Place olives in the bowl with the bread. Drain the capers, reserving 2 or more tbsps of the liquid. Add the capers and reserved liquid to bowl of bread and olives. Sprinkle on the chopped parsley and shredded basil.
- Pour over the mixture either 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, or 2 tbsp olive oil and enough mild broth to slightly moisten the stuffing. With your hands, toss the stuffing until everything is well combined and the stuffing is lightly moistened thruout. You might want to add more olive oil or broth or olive oil spray. Toss mixture again.
- Fill the peppers almost to the top with the bread stuffing. Set them aside while you heat up your dutch oven.
- In a heavy dutch oven such as a le creuset pot, heat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium high heat until oil is shimmering. Saute the sliced or cut up garlic cloves until the oil is permeated with their flavor. Then remove the garlic and continue with the recipe. Carefully lower each stuffed pepper into the pan and then turn each one one its side to brown using tongs or even your fingers holding onto the firm side of the pepper as you turn. Let each side brown slightly. Turn three or four times to make sure each side has browned slightly.
- Stand up the peppers in the pan, right side up and add the tomato sauce to the pan, letting it bubble up around the peppers. Spoon a few spoonfuls onto the top of the peppers. Turn heat down to simmer, partially cover the pot and simmer the peppers for 15 minutes on top of the stove.
- Take off the cover and finish cooking by baking in a 350º oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until peppers seem done and tops are crusty and brown. Take out of oven and let cool.
- You can leave these out covered with wax paper until ready to serve at room temperature, or you can let them cool and then place in a tupperware in the fridge where they will keep for several days. Some people even freeze them, but since I never have, I can't say how they would turn out.
Light Tomato Sauce:
- Put one large can of imported Italian plum tomatoes in a blender and blend for 30 seconds or so until the tomatoes are liquidated. In a heavy two quart saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of mild olive oil on medium high heat and when the oil is shimmering, throw in two or three cut up cloves of fresh garlic. Stir them around with a wooden spoon making sure they permeate the oil with flavor, turn slightly golden, but not brown. Then remove the garlic.
- Throw in the blended tomatoes and stir them well. Throw in a handful of shredded basil, the finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper.Turn the heat down to a simmer, partially cover the pan and simmer for thirty minutes. Ten minutes before the sauce is done, add more shredded basil. Turn off sauce at end of 30 minutes and let rest while making the stuffed peppers.
- Save the tomato sauce at the bottom of the pan to serve with the peppers. It is thickened by some of the stuffing and tastes very rich.
- You can lighten up the original recipe by using less olive oil and more broth to moisten the stuffing and you can brown the peppers in less oil too. Also, Italian bread is usually made without fat, so it is not as hard on your diet as other breads. I have not done the calorie count, but when I make the light version of this recipe, I will include it.In the meantime, make these peppers, bring them to a potluck, and wait for the raves!!
