Peperonata
Made with yellow and red peppers and cooked slowly. There are many variations to this recipe
but this is my version and, while some people will say that you shouldn’t put courgette in
peperonata, that is how I was taught to make it. The courgette bulks it out and tones down the
strong flavour of the peppers a little. Quantities and cooking times may vary depending on the
size of the peppers, so be flexible. For a really rich peperonata, at the end of cooking remove
from the heat for a few minutes and stir in an egg. We do this at home when eating this dish on
its own, with warm home-made bread. Serves 4
Ingredients:
olive oil
1 red onion (Rossa of Genova), thinly sliced
2 large yellow peppers (Giallo d’Asti), cut into
rough chunks
2–3 red peppers (Corno Rosso), cut into rough
chunks
1 courgette (Striato d’Italia), cut into thick slices
1 clove of garlic, crushed (optional)
1 tablespoon chicken stock
4 tomatoes (Roma), peeled, deseeded and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat some olive oil in a pan and soften the onion. Add the peppers, courgette, garlic (if
using) and stock and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer
for an additional 20 minutes, or until thick and shiny. Season to taste.
*taken from the book ‘From Seed to plate’ by Paolo Arrigo, published by Simon and Schuster