Sweet peppers are one of my favorite vegetables. Eat them raw, sauteed or pickled, scorch them in the oven and remove the peel, steam them or bake them with stuffing... So versatile and tasty, I would definitely count them as part of the super food family.
Still working hard to stay away from the refined carbs and quick starches. Makes quick and easy cooking sometimes difficult, because it gets quite hard to be creative when all you can play with is protein and fat... So I have decided to lighten up. As long as I stay away from potatoes, rice and wheat based products I will consider myself a good boy.
Which is where this recipe comes in. Sweet peppers are at their best this time of year, and I found this recipe that brings out the best in them. Colorful, tasty, succulent, sweet with a hint of acidity... This and a decent steak is all you need for a perfect late summer feast.
Big thanks goes out to the weekly recipe column in The Week, this amazing magazine that helps me stay sane in the midst of the onslaught of media.
Ingredients
3 red romano peppers cut in 1 cm strips
2 yellow romano peppers cut in 1 cm strips
20 very ripe plum or cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch of fresh oregano
1 bunch of basil, leaves only
60 ml of olive oil
a splash of red wine vinegar
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
zest of one lemon
Method
Warm a big frying pan to a gentle heat, add a table spoon of the olive oil. When it is just warm enough to make the onion sweat, add them and a pinch of salt. Soften them up for 15 minutes until they are translucent, stirring from time to time.
Add the garlic and oregano, sweat for a further 10 minutes. The onions and garlic should not go brown.
Stir in the pepper strips, add the red wine vinegar and let simmer. Use a small knife to pierce the tomatoes and before you add them to the pan squeeze them gently to release their juices. Place a lid on the pan and turn to the lowest heat.
Cook until the peppers are a mushy soft, almost falling apart. To reach this level of melt in your mouth velvety goodness will take about 45 minutes.
Once done, drizzle over the rest of the olive oil and gently fold in the basil leaves and lemon zest. The lemon zest will add a freshness and a distinct aroma to the dish. Since it was recently discovered that the scent of lemon has a healing effect on several of your genes (who knew, the aroma therapists were right all along) this must be a good thing.
Serve with a sirloin steak, cooked rare, or just as is for a delicious light treat. Can be served cold alongside tapas style accompaniments.
