{"product_id":"pepper-jimmy-nardello-9lb","title":"Pepper - Jimmy Nardello 9lb","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of the chefs’ favorites and pretty hard to come by! This long, thin, brilliant-red Italian frying pepper traces back to the small mountain village of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRuoti in Basilicata, southern Italy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. In 1887, Giuseppe and Angella Nardiello left Italy for the United States, carrying seeds from the sweet frying pepper they had grown in their family garden. They settled in Naugatuck, Connecticut, where they planted those seeds again and raised eleven children.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir fourth child, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJimmy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, inherited his mother’s love of the garden. He continued growing the family pepper throughout his life, cultivating it in terraced gardens and preserving the harvest by stringing the peppers to dry for winter. The family variety eventually became known as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJimmy Nardello’s pepper\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere was a very real possibility that the pepper would have remained just that—a family vegetable, eventually disappearing as Jimmy’s generation passed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHowever, before Jimmy died in 1983, he gave seeds of the family pepper to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeed Savers Exchange\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. That simple act put the variety into seed preservation and allowed it to move beyond the Nardello family garden and into the hands of growers across America. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eToday, Jimmy Nardello is considered one of the great American heirloom peppers. It has even been recognized by Slow Food as an important heritage variety.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat’s just the story… a good story gets the foot in the door but it doesn’t matter if it lacks flavor. Because then it would have no longevity or real place in the kitchen nor American gardens. And then you cook one. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe peppers are \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003elong, thin-skinned, and remarkably sweet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, with a flavor that becomes almost fruity as they ripen fully to red. Seed Savers Exchange describes them as having a delicious roasted-apple character, and that description is remarkably accurate. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere is none of the heavy vegetal character of a bell pepper and very little bitterness. The flesh is delicate and tender, with a concentrated sweetness that intensifies dramatically when exposed to high heat.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a pepper made for a hot pan.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the Kitchen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe traditional preparation is also probably the best one: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003efry them hard in olive oil until blistered and collapsing\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, then finish with good salt.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut they have considerably more range:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eBlister whole\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and serve alongside grilled fish, pork, or chicken\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFry slowly in olive oil until sweet and almost jammy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRoast and fold into sauces, relishes, or vinaigrettes\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eServe raw in thin slices when fully ripe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePreserve in olive oil\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePickle while still green\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDry ripe peppers for use through the winter\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFold into eggs, pasta, beans, or risotto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePair with anchovy, garlic, tomato, fresh cheeses, or cured meats\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePepper jelly (“Jimmy Nardelly” as my friend chef Joseph Harrison says) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe ripe red peppers are especially beautiful when cooked slowly. Their thin walls collapse quickly, concentrating the sugars and creating something almost halfway between a roasted pepper and a fruit preserve.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWild Hope Farm is growing these because they deserve to be eaten at their best—not because they’re fashionable, but because they’re one of those old varieties where \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe story and the eating quality happen to be equally good\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA handful of seeds crossed the Atlantic in 1887.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA boy named Jimmy kept planting them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd more than a century later, we’re still eating what his mother carried with her from Italy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bradford Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43037557653579,"sku":"PEPPER-JIMMYNARDELLO-9","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0565\/6811\/9371\/files\/IMG_9175.jpg?v=1786831360","url":"https:\/\/bradfordfarmsc.com\/products\/pepper-jimmy-nardello-9lb","provider":"Bradford Farm","version":"1.0","type":"link"}