ROASTED PEPPER ROLLS STUFFED WITH TUNA--Peperoni farciti con tonno e acciuga
Makes about 15 small rolls, serving 6 as an hors d'oeuvre

Antipasti are, for me, the best part of a Piedmontese meal. At any family gathering (and in restaurants as well) the platters of different antipasti just never stop coming. And at some point in the procession, roasted peppers stuffed with tuna, will arrive at the table. The combination of sweet, meaty peppers and well-seasoned oil-cured tuna is always delightful.
In Piemonte, cooks are discriminating in the peppers they roast and most sought are those from Carmagnola, a town in the countryside south of Torino. Carmagnola peppers are justly famous, for wonderful flavor as well as their vivid colors and distinctive shapes, like the corno di bue (ox horn) and trottola (spinning top). Carmagnola also is well known for il coniglio grigio di Carmagnola--the gray rabbit from Carmagnola--considered to be one of the best in Italy.
Here in the States, any fresh, meaty sweet bell-type peppers are suitable-different colors make a nice presentation. And peppers are always best roasted and peeled at home, though a jar of roasted red peppers can be substituted if you are short on time. (If you have no peppers at all, this tuna filling is delicious on crostini or crackers--it makes a world-class tuna fish sandwich too.)

• 3 or 4 sweet red or assorted color peppers (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1/3 cup or so extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt or to taste
• Two 6-ounce cans tuna in olive oil (preferably imported from Italy)
• 2 small anchovy fillets, drained and chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons small capers, drained and chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

• Parchment-lined baking sheet
• Sieve to drain & dry out strips of peppers
• Mixing bowl and fork for tuna and other ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350º. Rub the peppers all over with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or so, turning the peppers occasionally, until their skins are wrinkled and slightly charred.

Let the peppers cool completely. Slice in half (through the stem end), discard the stem, peel off the skin and slice the halves lengthwise into strips 2-inches wide. Scrape the seeds from the strips and lay them in a sieve to drain and dry.

To make the stuffing, drain the tuna, and break it into flakes in a medium-size bowl. One at a time, mix the seasonings into the tuna with a fork: chopped anchovies, capers, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, parsley, 2 tablespoons olive oil and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir vigorously, breaking up lumps of fish, until the stuffing is soft and fairly smooth. Add more of any seasoning to taste. Drop a scant tablespoon of stuffing at one end of each roast pepper strip and roll it up snug, creating a neat cylinder. Press the pepper as you wrap so it adheres to itself and stays closed.

To serve, arrange all the rolls on a platter, drizzle a bit more olive oil all over and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.

FRICO WITH APPLE AND VARIATIONS--Formaggio fuso con patate
Serves 6

• 2 Golden Delicious apples or other firm apples (about 10 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound Montasio cheese, shredded

• A 10-inch non-stick skillet
• Peel and core the apples and slice into wedges, about 1/2-inch thick

Pour the olive oil in the skillet and set over medium heat. Scatter the apples wedges in the pan and toss to coat with oil. Cook and caramelize the apples for about 8 minutes, tossing frequently, until tinged with brown and softened but not mushy. Spill the caramelized apples onto a plate.

Sprinkle half of the shredded Montasio in an even layer over the bottom of the skillet. Return the apples to the pan, spreading them evenly on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the remainder of the shredded cheese over the apples.

Lower the heat and let the frico cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is very brown and crisped, about 10 minutes. If the cheese releases a lot of fat in the pan, blot it up with paper towels. Shake the pan to loosen the disk, put a large plate on top and invert, dropping the frico onto the plate, then slide it back in the skillet, top side down. Cook until the second side is crisp and brown, about 7 minutes more.

Slide (or invert) the frico onto the plate, blot up oil and slice into 6 wedges. Serve hot.

COOKED AND RAW VEGETABLE SALAD--Insalata cotta e cruda
Serves 6 or more

This recipe is much like the wonderful salad I had at Manfredi's house. In Palermo, as I mentioned earlier, the insalate cruda/cotta that you can buy at the markets will vary with the season. In America, we can enjoy that same variety so do not feel confined by these ingredients: use other greens such as escarole, mesclun, and frisee together with cooked vegetables such as roasted squash, boiled leeks, boiled beets--anything else you have on hand or enjoy.

• 1 pound sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla Walla
• 3/4 pound red bliss potatoes (3 to 6 potatoes, depending on size)
• 1/2 pound fresh green beans
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt or to taste
• 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
• 3 tablespoons small capers, drained
• 1 or 2 fresh ripe tomatoes (about 1/2 pound), cored and cut in wedges
• 1 or 2 heads of Bibb lettuce (about 3/4 pound)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• A large bowl for dressing, tossing and serving

For the verdura cotta (cooked vegetables):

Peel and trim the onions and slice into rounds, about 3/4-inch thick. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle salt lightly on both sides. Lay the onions on a baking sheet and roast in a pre-heated 375º oven for 20 minutes or longer, turning once, until slightly softened and nicely caramelized on the flat sides and edges. Cool then separate the rounds into thick onion rings.

Meanwhile, drop the potatoes, whole with skin on, into a pot with plenty of water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook just until a sharp knife blade slides through the potatoes--don't let them get mushy. Extract the potatoes and cut them into wedges, about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Trim the ends of the green beans and, when the potatoes are out of the boiling water, drop the beans in and cook until al dente, 4 minutes or so. Scoop them from the pot with a spider and drop the beans into very icy water, to set the color. Once chilled, drain and dry the beans and cut them in 2-inch lengths.

For the verdura cruda (raw vegetables):

Rinse, dry, and core the tomatoes. Slice them in wedges about the same size as the potatoes. Separate, rinse, and spin dry the lettuce leaves.

Put everything in the bowl except the lettuce: onions, potatoes, beans, olives, capers and tomatoes. Sprinkle over the remaining salt and freshly ground pepper, drizzle over the rest of the olive oil and the red wine vinegar, and tumble the vegetables to coat them with dressing.

Scatter the lettuce on top, tearing the larger leaves in two, then toss the greens with the vegetables gently but continuously for about a minute, to distribute the dressing evenly. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you like, and toss again.

Serve immediately-always including some of the heavier goodies that drop to the bottom of the bowl and hide under the lettuce.

ANNA'S SPAGHETTI AND PESTO TRAPANESE--Pesto alla Anna
Serves 4 to 6

The beauty and delight of this dish is that it is so fresh and clean--and it is a cinch to make. It's important to make the pesto with the best ingredients then just toss in the hot cooked spaghetti to coat it and enjoy.

• 3/4 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) cherry tomatoes, very ripe and sweet
• 12 large fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup of whole almonds, lightly toasted
• 1 plump garlic clove, crushed and peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste, plus more for the pasta
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano

• A blender (my preference) or a food processor
• A pot for cooking the spaghetti

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry.

Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.

With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the purée into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you're going to dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate if for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.)

To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt, to boil in the large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl.

Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls.