Bell peppers in extra virgin olive oil

My mother had a standard expression for exceptionally good flavour makers: “This would even make a paving stone taste good.” These peppers immediately made me think of that.

Put them on a piece of good bread, beside some cheese, on a pizza or with grilled meat and something happens straight away. Not because the pepper overwhelms everything else, but because the sweetness, freshness, gentle heat and rich olive oil are beautifully balanced.

Ripe, sweet peppers are selected for this product. That matters, because when the pepper itself already has enough flavour, everything else only needs to support it.

The texture remains pleasantly tender without becoming mushy. You really taste the pepper: juicy, fleshy and with that natural sweetness that works so beautifully with acidity, salt and olive oil.

After harvesting, the peppers are seasoned with sea salt and white wine vinegar. The vinegar adds freshness and tension without making the peppers taste sour.

Local chillies then provide a subtle touch of heat. No burning mouth and no pepper that tastes only of chilli. That little bit of spice simply makes the natural sweetness more interesting.

As an olive mill, Galantino does not choose a cheap neutral oil simply to keep the peppers preserved. They are packed in Extra Virgin olive oil.

The oil adds roundness, softness and a fruity Mediterranean layer. Here, pepper and olive oil enhance one another instead of the oil merely acting as a preserving liquid.

Use the oil from the jar over bread, in a dressing, with pasta or as a final drizzle over pizza. It has absorbed flavour from the peppers, so it deserves the same treatment as the peppers themselves: eat it.

These peppers can be used both cold and warm. Serve them straight from the jar as antipasti or use them as a powerful flavour maker in a dish.

Galantino is best known for its high-quality Extra Virgin olive oil. That same attention to flavour is used in its delicacies. The pepper is the main ingredient, but the quality of the oil also helps determine how good the final product becomes.

But my mother was probably right. This is one of those jars you can put next to almost anything and afterwards wonder why you didn't serve more of it. Sweet pepper, a little freshness, subtle heat and good Extra Virgin olive oil. Simple. And incredibly delicious.