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Spanish Sweet Peppers
Heat a teaspoon oil in a small frying pan. Split six Spanish sweet peppers in two, set them in the pan, season with half teaspoon salt, then fry on a brisk fire for three-quarters of a minute on each side; drain and use as required.
A one-line side dish of the sort that fills out Filippini-style menus: peppers hit hard and fast in a little oil, then held until a plate needs them. The whole thing hinges on the pan being genuinely hot before the peppers go in.
- What "Spanish sweet peppers" meansThe name most likely points to a thinner-fleshed sweet pepper of the pimiento family rather than a thick modern bell; fresh sweet frying peppers are the nearest common substitute. The recipe gives no weight, so judge by size.
- If you only have bell peppersThick-walled bells will not cook through in 45 seconds a side; they will scorch outside and stay raw within. Cut them into flat panels and expect several minutes, or roast and peel them instead.
- "A brisk fire"High heat, and the oil shimmering before anything touches it. The short timing is a scorch-and-drain technique, not a gentle sauté; a lukewarm pan gives you steamed, limp peppers.
- Oil quantityA single teaspoon is very lean for six peppers in a modern pan. Two to three teaspoons is more realistic, and the drained peppers will shed most of it anyway.
- Split in twoThe recipe does not say which way, nor does it mention seeding; splitting lengthwise and removing seeds and pith is the usual modern handling. Laying the halves cut side down first puts the interior against the initial heat.
- SaltHalf a teaspoon for six peppers is generous by current taste, particularly if these are going alongside an already-seasoned dish. Salt after frying and to taste.
- Draining and holdingDrain on paper or a rack, not in a covered dish, or the steam softens the edges you just worked for. They are good warm or at room temperature.
- YieldThe recipe gives no yield; "use as required" leaves it open. Six peppers would plausibly serve two as a side, or stretch further as a garnish for grilled meat, eggs or ham.
This entry belongs to the run of short national side dishes that fills out the later sections of turn-of-the-century international cookbooks — terse, professional notes, which is why it ends with "use as required" instead of a serving suggestion. The sweet pepper it calls for is the Spanish pimiento family. Frying split sweet peppers hard in oil and salting them remains ordinary practice across Spain, and the technique here appears to be of that kind.