Peperonata

It's pepper time. Sweet bell peppers are finally on sale everywhere. Even the cheap discount supermarkets seem unable to sell bad ones at the moment. It would be a waste to miss on them as long as the moment lasts. I already have a couple of recipes I've been wanting to test for a while but as start I had to pick a pepper classic: peperonata. This is one of the not many dishes which might really be considered Italian cooking and not, for once, regional fare. Peperonata can be used as a vegetable side dish but I prefer to use it as starter, together with some fresh cheese. Or even better use both together for a delicious panino.

Peperonata is quite easy to make and the different recipes I have differ only in details. There is one trick which might come in handy if you find peppers hard to digest: just peel your peppers, and reduce cooking time of about 15 minutes. You will lose a bit of flavor richness but your stomach will thank you.

Peperonata
serves 4

1 kg red and yellow bell peppers
500g ripe tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 T chopped basil
salt
2 T Extra Virgin Olive oil

Cut the onion in half and then slice the two halves very thin. Clean the peppers, removing stem, seeds and white pith. Chop into small stripes or squares. Peel the tomatoes by dropping them for a few seconds in boiling water and then removing the skin. Remove the seeds. Chop finely.

Heat the oil in a pot together with the onions over medium-low flame. Cook till the onions start to brown very slightly. Add the peppers and stir. After about two minutes add the tomatoes and some salt (1 tsp first, check and eventually add more during cooking). Cook, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour.

Once done, the peppers should be soft but not mashed. The cooking sauce should be rather thick. Add the chopped basil to the peppers and either serve straight away or, even better, leave to rest for one day before eating.

Comments

[Angela]

Great minds think alike, Alberto! I made some peperonata last night and it was gorgeous! We finished it up at lunch today by stuffing it into pita breads with some chargrilled chicken - yum!

Yours looks fantastic :)

[Alberto]

Thanks, but yours looks even better. I'll have to try the combination with chargrilled chicken, sounds delicious.