Peperonata
This is a fantastic side dish or topping to accompany grilled meats or barbecue meats. It is one of those dishes you can serve hot or cold – and you can even eat it on its own, it is still so memorable. If eating this dish with simply crusty baguettes and nothing else, double the quantities below.
Ingredients
- oz/50ml good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (red or white) finely sliced
- 2 bell peppers (any colour) sliced and deseeded
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
- 6 plum tomatoes, chopped
- ½ tsp dried Herbes de Provence
- Small handful fresh basil leaves
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 2 splashes of red wine (you can substitute for our favourite verjuice!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh basil leaves (if desired)
Method
- Halve, seed and thinly slice two medium-sized peppers, into strips about ½ inch/1cm wide.
- Pour 2fl.oz/60ml of olive oil into a shallow pan then add the onion and garlic . Let it cook until soft and pale then add the peppers.
- Chop 6 plum tomatoes (or 1 can chopped tomatoes) and add them to the pan, add the wine and let the mixture cook down over a low heat for 30-40 minutes. Half way through the cooking process, add 1tsp dried Herbes de Provence and the sugar. Stir well.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add basil leaves if desired.
- Serve with a great French bread, the crustier the better, to mop up the juices!
