Stewed Peppers with Tomatoes, Onions and Garlic

Tag : garlic
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
The New York Times
Published: Sep 24, 2008
Variations of this dish appear throughout the Mediterranean region.The Basque piperade -- made with slender, slightly piquant pepperscalled piments d’espelette and stirred into scrambled eggsalong with bayonne ham -- has some heat, while Italian peperonatais sweet through and through. A North African variety, chakchouka,is spiced with fiery harissa and a blend of caraway, coriander,cayenne and garlic, and it usually is served with eggs poachedright on top of the stew. See the variations below.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 plump garlic cloves, minced
3 large red peppers, or a combination of red and yellow peppers,thinly sliced or chopped
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained of some but not all ofits juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or heavy casserole overmedium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, aboutfive minutes, and add the garlic and peppers. Cook, stirring often,for five minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook foranother five minutes until the peppers are tender.
2. Add the tomatoes, thyme, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer.Continue to simmer, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoeshave cooked down somewhat, about 10 minutes. Cover, reduce theheat, and simmer over low heat for another 15 to 20 minutes (orlonger), stirring from time to time, until the mixture is thick andfragrant. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve as a side dish, as atopping for pizza, pasta, polenta, rice or bruschetta, as a fillingfor an omelet, or stir into scrambled eggs.
Yield: Serves six
Advance preparation: The stewed peppers will keep for about fivedays in the refrigerator.
Variations:
French Piperade
Substitute one large green pepper, or two small ones, for one ofthe red peppers. Add one minced jalapeño or serrano chile. Atthe end of step two, beat six to eight eggs in a bowl and stir intothe pepper mixture. Cook, stirring over low heat, until the eggsare just set but still creamy. Remove from the heat, divide amongfour plates, and serve.
North African Chakchouka
Use two green peppers, two red peppers, and two Anaheim peppers.Increase the tomatoes to 1 1/2 pounds. Along with the tomatoes,stir in one teaspoon harissa or more to taste. (Harissa is a NorthAfrican chile paste; you can find it in Mediterranean markets.) Add1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds, 1/4 teaspoon ground carawayseeds, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. When the stew has cooked down to athick, fragrant mixture, stir in two tablespoons of parsley. Tasteand adjust seasonings. With the back of your spoon, make fourdepressions in the vegetables. Break an egg into each depression.Cover and cook for five to six minutes until the eggs are set.Sprinkle the eggs with salt, pepper and parsley, and serve.
Recipe: Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad
This is a truly seasonal salad, so make it soon, before the lastfall tomatoes are gone. You’ll find them at thefarmers’ markets — next to the tables full of peppers.
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds red or red and yellow peppers, roasted
1 tablespoon slivered fresh basil
1 pound fresh ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges
1 head of leaf lettuce or romaine
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
1. To make the dressing, mix together the sherry vinegar, balsamicvinegar, garlic, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cut the roasted peppers into 1/2-inch wide strips. Toss with twotablespoons of the dressing. Add half the basil, and toss again.
3. Remove and discard the tough outer leaves from the lettuce. Washand dry the tender leaves and tear into bite-size pieces. Toss withthe tomatoes and remaining dressing and basil. Line a platter or awide bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes. Top with the peppers.Sprinkle on the goat cheese, if using. Serve at room temperature orslightly chilled.
Yield: Serves four
Advance preparation: The roasted peppers will keep for about fivedays in the refrigerator, and for a week if you toss them with thedressing.
Recipe: The Sweetest Peppers, Fresh From the Farm
At any time of the year, you can find red, yellow, orange, green,and even purple peppers at the supermarket. But, in fact, peppersare a seasonal vegetable, and when freshly picked they are sweeterand more intense than any hothouse variety. The skin is thinner,and the flavors are vivid. Eat the real ones often enough, and youmay never return to the bland, expensive ones from the grocerystore.
Peppers are very low in calories (about 25 calories per cup), andred peppers in particular are an excellent source of vitamins C, Aand B6, as well as a very good source of potassium and vitamin K.By weight, red bell peppers contain three times as much vitamin Cas citrus fruit. They also contain lycopene, a carotenoid found intomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables. Some research hassuggested that lycopene helps fight certain kinds of cancer.
Peppers offer the cook endless possibilities. Roast them and theybecome a household staple, useful for snacks, salads and quicktoppings for sandwiches and bruschetta. Fry or stew them, and theycan be stirred into scrambled eggs and frittatas, risottos, pastasand pilafs. Uncooked peppers make a great, healthy snack, a crunchyvegetable that kids will eat.
Roasted or Grilled Peppers
Roasting or grilling sweet peppers makes them taste still sweeter,and the charred skin adds yet another layer of flavor. You cangrill peppers under a broiler or over a flame or coals.Alternately, you can roast them in the oven; it’s the easiestmethod if you’re roasting more than one or two peppers, androasting yields more juice than grilling.
4 medium red, green or yellow bell peppers
Optional:
Sea salt (fine or coarse) or kosher salt and freshly ground pepperto taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
Slivered fresh basil leaves or chopped fresh tarragon, chervil ormarjoram
1 teaspoon balsamic or sherry vinegar
Roasting in the oven:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.Place the peppers on the foil, and bake in the oven for 30 to 40minutes, using tongs to turn the peppers every 10 minutes. Thepeppers are done when their skins are brown and puffed. The skinswon’t be black, as they are when grilled.
2. Transfer the peppers to a bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate orwith plastic, and let sit for 30 minutes until cool.
3. Carefully remove the skins. Holding the peppers over the bowl sono juice escapes, separate into halves or quarters, and remove thestems, seeds and membranes. Cut into strips if desired, and placein another bowl. Strain in the juice. If storing for more than aday, toss with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.Refrigerate until ready to use. If you wish, toss with the optionalingredients shortly before serving.
Grilled Peppers
Using a Burner: Light a gas burner, and place the pepper directlyover the flame. As soon as one section has blackened, turn thepepper, using tongs, to expose another section to the flame.Continue to turn until the entire pepper is blackened. Place in aplastic bag and seal, or place in a bowl and cover tightly. Allowto sit until cool, then remove the charred skin. You may need torun the pepper briefly under the faucet to rinse off the final bitsof charred skin. If so, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the pepperin half, holding it over a bowl, remove the seeds and membranes,and store as instructed above.
Using the broiler: Preheat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet withfoil. Place the baking sheet under the broiler at the highestsetting. Turn the peppers every three minutes or so until uniformlycharred. Proceed as above.
Using a grill: Place on a grill directly over hot coals, and turnthe peppers as each side becomes charred and blackened. When theentire pepper is charred, remove from the grill and proceed asabove.
Yield: Serves 4
Advance preparation: Roasted or grilled peppers will keep in therefrigerator for about five days. If you cover them with olive oil,they’ll last a couple of weeks. © The New York Times. All rights reserved. This articleoriginally appeared in The New York Times .