Peperonata

This, to me, is such a simple dish. I’m all about easy peasy. As I’ve mentioned before simple isn’t a bad thing. It truly is a WOW dish. Everyone will think you slaved away when you simply added the ingredients & left them to mingle with each other. The longer they mingle & get to know each other, the better they’ll be. LOL!

It’s the perfect way to start off an evening with friends. As a matter of fact, I fixed this as an appetizer the other night when company was over. Just toasted up some crostini to go with & voila! Needless to say there wasn’t any left over so I’m thinking they liked it. LOL.

I have seen this dish prepared with green bell peppers as well. If you’re fond of them, by all means throw a few in. Cooking should be about what you like (& what you have on hand). If you’re using the fresh bell peppers you’ll have to cook them down longer so they’re soft. When using the jarred roasted red bell peppers you won’t need to obviously cook them as long. If your Peperonata is cooking down & needs a little liquid add some water or chicken stock. Remember less is more! You can always add to. Just keep an eye on it & taste (& season) as you go.

Peperonata is also perfect as a sauce to accompany your meat/poultry dishes. So versatile. So easy. So dee-lish!

Some of my go-to appetizers (besides Peperonata) are: Bruschetta & Crostini with Artichoke Spread. What are yours?

 

What you’ll need:
1 onion – chopped
2-4 cloves of fresh garlic – minced
2 Roasted Red Bell Peppers (or 2 Red Bell Peppers) – chopped
1 large can of San Marzano Tomatoes
s/p
extra virgin olive oil
chicken stock or water
Fresh Basil – a good handful chopped
Fresh Parsley  – a good handful chopped

What to do:
In a large pan over medium-high heat, add a few good turns of the oil. Add your onions & saute until translucent. Add in your garlic & stir through for about a minute (don’t want to burn the garlic). Reduce heat to low & add in your tomatoes & peppers. Season with salt & pepper. Allow to cook down until peppers and tomatoes are soft. Don’t rush it. Sauces are much better the longer they simmer & the ingriedients have time to get to know each other! As the liquid cooks out, add in your stock/water as needed. Check periodically for seasoning as add as necessary. At the very end add in your chopped basil & parsley & stir through.

Buon Appetito!

Goes great with:
A loaf of crusty bread