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A Green Bell Pepper Alternative

Long, slender Cubanelle peppers are commonly used in Spanish, Caribbean, and Italian cooking.

We tried eating them raw and found them to be crunchy and a little fibrous. As for flavor, they were less fruity than red bell peppers and less vegetal than green. They were also faintly spicy and a little bitter. Their appeal became more apparent once we cooked them. We made two batches of Eggs Pipérade, one with a mix of Cubanelles and red bell peppers (as called for in the recipe) and another with green bell peppers substituted for the Cubanelles. The Cubanelles retained their color and their firm structure, while the green bell peppers turned olive drab and a bit soft. The slight bitterness of the Cubanelles provided a welcome counterpoint to the sweetness of the red bell peppers, while the grassiness of the green bell peppers nearly overwhelmed the red bell peppers in the second sample. Cubanelles are a great option when you want cooked peppers but don’t want the overt sweetness of red bell peppers or the assertive grassiness of green.

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