Italian frying pepper?
 

What is an "Italian frying pepper"? How does it differ from other peppers?

I asked my Italian neighbor, figuring that someone born and raised near Rome would know, but he doesn't have a clue how any pepper could be called that.

-- BC --

Frying peppers usually have thinner walls than bell peppers and cook pretty quickly. They are longer and narrower than bells and taper to a point. You can use them in the green stage or when they ripen to red or yellow. They are even a few that are orange and purple. You can quickly saute them with a bit of olive oil and garlic or grill them or just use them in salads. Frying peppers do better in my garden than bell peppers.

Thanks, Michele!

To my neighbor, a frying pepper is any pepper that's handy when you want to fry peppers. Maybe I should have asked his wife, lol.

The thing I like the most about frying peppers are that you can slice them up, freeze them, and throw them into a freezer bag for use in omelets, sauce, sausauge sandwiches, or whatever, all winter long. Unlike bell peppers, they don't have that slimy skin when they thaw.

Would Corno di Toro fall into this category??

Well yes, it would Richard. LOL.
I just did a google search for Italian frying pepper and the first page that came up had Corno di Toro red and yellow at the top. Should have searched first eh.

How many peppers does a Corno di Toro plant provide? I am trying to determine whether I need to grow 1 or 2 plants. Also, I was wondering if there is an Italian version of Chile Rellenos with sweet peppers. If there is, I would love to have the recipe. If not, I guess that I will be experimenting this summer.

The Corno di Toro I grew last year (in a horrible spot), grew into a tall plant and had quite a few peppers. That being said I think I would grow more than one to get a good yeild.

I would encourage anyone interested in growing "Italian" frying peppers to try "Jimmy Nardello". I've grown them every year since the seeds were offered commercially.

My great-grandmother Nonna Francesca used to grow a very similar variety and she would fry them up in some olive oil and garlic and serve them with some crusty Italian bread. Sometimes she would skim off some of the oil and pour it over freshly steamed escarole, too. Simple yet very delicious.

The smell of them cooking today fondly invokes this childhood memory. :)

You can also string up any extra peppers and dry them for later use. They are thin walled and dry beautifully...and you can add them to your recipes long after your harvest is over. :wink:

Hi Mischka,

Jimmy Nardello is one pepper that I would really like to try. I put it on next year's list just because I forgot to buy seeds with my Seedsavers.com order. I thought about picking them up for this year, but I think that it is too late to start them. I am Sacramento, CA Z9. Are these peppers similar to Corno di Toro? have started those already. There are several nurseries in my area, I'll check to see if any of them will be carrying Jimmy Nardello.

Thanks.

Angelique

Marconi is similar to Corno di Toro. It comes in red, yellow and purple. I have not grown the purple one but it's probably like the purple bells and turns green when cooked. You can view pictures of all of the Corno di Toro and Marconi at [url]www.tomatogrowers.com[/url] and compare.

And yes, these would be great for an Italian version of Chile Rellenos. They are fatter than the Jimmy Nardello's and easier to get the filling in, though Nardello's is a great pepper too!

I also recommend two plants because when you let peppers ripen beyond the green stage, you end up picking them sort of in waves. If you're waiting for them all to turn red or yellow, the plant will put its energy into ripening them, not making more baby peppers. With two plants, you can pick off of one while the other is in the ripening stage. As soon as you pick the ripe peppers, the plant will start producing baby peppers for the next batch. Does that make sense?

Thanks Shelleybean for the explanation and information about macaroni pepper. In addition to Corno di Toro, I am also growing Sweet Cayenne and Giant Aconcagua. For hot peppers, I am growing Mesilla from a seed. I'll probably pick up a jalapeno and Eisley's Wax from the local nursery.

[quote=Mischka]I would encourage anyone interested in growing "Italian" frying peppers to try "Jimmy Nardello". I've grown them every year since the seeds were offered commercially.
[/quote]

I'm growing Jimmy Nardellos this year. I'm excited to see how it does. My grandparents were born in Sicily, so I like to grow some Italian varieties. Here's an interesting article I found about Jimmy Nardello.

[url]http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/09/18/HOG5M8PE4Q1.DTL[/url]

Jimmy Nardello has been my most prolific pepper the past 3 years, not to mention great tasting. I grow it in containers now.
Also trying Lemme's Italian, Aconcagua, Melrose, Golden Treasure, Tolli's Sweet, and Corno di Toro( which hasn't done well the last few years, so last try for CTD).
Italian frying types are my favorite by far.

Jeanne

Still watching my cells to see who the first pepper/eggplant to emerge will be.....