Peperonata (stewed peppers)

Peperonata is made in many regions of Italy: peppers cut into strips and stewed in a pan with onion, tomato and extra virgin olive oil until soft and sweet. It is a side dish for meat and salt cod, but it is also good warm as a main dish or cold as a starter, perhaps on a slice of toasted bread.

Ingredients for 4

• 4 peppers, about 1 kg, of mixed colours
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove (optional)
• 300 g peeled tomatoes or ripe tomatoes
• 5 tablespoons IL CONTE Blend
• A few basil leaves
• Salt

Method

1. Wash the peppers, remove the stalks, seeds and white pith and cut them into strips or chunks.
2. In a wide pan, gently soften the sliced onion in the oil for about ten minutes, with the garlic if you like.
3. Add the peppers and let them take on flavour over high heat for a few minutes, stirring.
4. Add the tomatoes in pieces and the salt, cover and cook over low heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the peppers are soft.
5. Take off the lid for the last few minutes so the sauce thickens, then turn off the heat and add the torn basil.

The right oil

In peperonata the oil cooks for a long time with the vegetables and makes the sauce: a job for the Blend. If you serve it cold as a starter, a drizzle of raw oil just before serving makes it even better.

Photo: Kobako, Wikimedia Commons, licence CC BY-SA 3.0.