Peperoni Cruschi in Polvere

Name: Peperoni Cruschi in Polvere
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Lucana
Ingredients: 150 g dried senise peppers (peperoni cruschi); 2 g Fine sea salt

A fragrant, sweet ground spice made from sun-dried Senise peppers. Often called the red gold of Basilicata, it adds colour and mild depth to local dishes.

🇮🇹Italy· Basilicata

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 25 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 2 gathered

Servings

150 g dried senise peppers (peperoni cruschi) — whole sweet dried peppers, clean and free of mould
2 g Fine sea salt — optional, to help prevent clumping during grinding

Equipment

•Baking tray
•Parchment paper
•Spice grinder or high-speed blender
•Fine-mesh sieve
•Airtight glass jar

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 25 kcal
fat: 0.5 g
carbs: 5 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 1 g
calories: 25 kcal

Instructions

1
Preheat your oven to 70C or its lowest warming setting.
2
Wipe each dried pepper with a dry, clean tea towel to remove any surface dust.
3
Cut off the stems and shake out all internal seeds and white membranes.
4
Tear the hollow dried pepper skins into small pieces roughly 2 to 3 centimetres wide.
5
Spread the pepper pieces across a baking tray lined with parchment paper in a single layer.
6
Warm in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until completely brittle, ensuring they do not brown.
7
Remove the tray and allow the pepper pieces to cool completely to room temperature.
8
Transfer the crisp pieces to a dry spice grinder or blender in small batches.
9
Pulse until ground into a vibrant, fine scarlet powder.
10
Pass the powder through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean, sterilised, dry glass jar.
11
Discard any fibrous bits left in the sieve and seal the jar tightly.

Chef's tips

Ensure the peppers are completely dry and brittle before grinding, as any residual moisture will make the powder clump and spoil. Grind in short pulses to prevent heat from the blades darkening the bright red colour. Always use completely dry spoons when measuring from the storage jar.

Ingredient substitutions

dried Senise peppers (peperoni cruschi) → mild dried sweet Spanish choricero pepper skins or sweet paprika

Storage

Store in an airtight, sterilised glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard away from moisture for up to six months.

Reheating

Not applicable; use at room temperature as a dry finishing spice or stir directly into warm sauces.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Leaving seeds in the pods, which makes the finished powder bitter and pale
•Grinding warm or damp peppers, resulting in a sticky paste instead of a fine powder
•Overheating the peppers in the oven, which burns the natural sugars and creates a bitter taste

Serving suggestions

Stir a teaspoon into garlic and olive oil pasta with toasted breadcrumbsDust over fried eggs, fresh ricotta, or braised legumes for colour and sweet flavourRub over pork roasts or incorporate into homemade Lucanian sausage seasoning