Simple Peperonata (Italian Peppers)
Slicing sweet peppers as the light starts to fade and dinner begins.
Some recipes are more like suggestions than instructions, and peperonata is one of them. It’s simply sweet peppers, garlic, olive oil, and a little time on the stove, but somehow it turns into something that feels like it came from a restaurant.
This is the kind of thing you make when you’re already in the kitchen with a glass of wine and dinner is taking its time. It doesn’t need much attention, just a stir every now and then, and it slowly becomes soft, glossy, and full of flavor.
I served this with braised short ribs and creamy polenta, and it was one of those dinners that felt like it should have been at a restaurant instead of at home in the mountains.
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed tomatoes
1–2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt
Simply peppers, olive oil, a little tomato, and red wine vinegar.
Instructions
Step 1 — Cook the Peppers
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat.
Add the sliced peppers and a pinch of salt.
Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the peppers to soften slowly, not burn.
Start the peppers first and let them cook slowly until soft.
Step 2 — Add Garlic
Add the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant.
As they cook down, the peppers become soft, glossy, and sweet.
Step 3 — Add Tomatoes and Vinegar
Add the crushed tomatoes and red wine vinegar and cook another 5–10 minutes, until the peppers are very soft and glossy.
Taste and add salt if needed.
Stir, pour a glass of wine, and let dinner take its time.
Finished peperonata — good warm, room temperature, or cold the next day
How to Serve Peperonata
Over creamy polenta
With braised short ribs
With roast chicken
On grilled bread
With goat cheese or Parmesan
Next to steak
With pasta
Cold from the fridge the next day
It’s one of those things that’s good to have in the fridge because it makes everything else feel like a real meal.
Served over polenta with braised short ribs and a glass of red wine.
