Have you ever heard of peperonata before? It’s an incredibly simple and delicious dish that originated in Southern Italy and it’s sort of like their version of ratatouille. However, instead of being made out of eggplant and zucchini like ratatouille, peperonata mainly consists of bell peppers. In fact, it’s almost exclusively made out of bell peppers hence the name, peperonata.
So how is it made?
Well just like ratatouille it can be a lengthy yet easy process. All you really have to do is place some onions, tomatoes, garlic, wine, olive oil, and of course bell peppers to a pot. Then you just simmer the ingredients low and slow for an hour until the ingredients have broken down and thickened. In the end, you are left with a hearty vegetarian dish that’s not only delicious but also perfect for showing off the fresh flavors of summer. So if you’re ready to give it a go then let’s get to making our peperonata!
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- What type of peppers to use? Honestly, any sweet pepper will work great in peperonata, but try to stick with the ones that you like. For example today I am using a mixture of green, red, and yellow bell peppers. However, if you do like green, or red, or yellow bell peppers then feel free to sub them out with orange, or even striped ones. It’s your peperonata so use whatever ones you prefer.
- Is peperonata a side dish? A main? Or an appetizer? To be perfectly honest I have seen people use peperonata as all three. I personally prefer to use it as a side and serve it with either chicken piccata, joojeh kebabs, or even marinated beef tenderloin. You can also serve it as a vegetarian main dish, especially if you add in extra vegetables like olive or even eggplant & potatoes. And lastly, I have seen plenty of people use it almost like bruschetta by placing it over bread. So how you use your peperonata is really up to you!
Peperonata Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Ingredients
6 Bell peppers, deseeded and cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch chunks
1 Large red onion, cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch chunks
4 Roma tomatoes, medium diced
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
½ Cup of dry white wine
Basil
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sautee the onion and garlic: Get out a large pot, pour the 4 tablespoons of olive oil in it and place it over medium-high heat. Toss in the onion and sautee them for 5 minutes or until they become translucent. Then toss in the garlic and continue to saute for another minute.
- Pour in the wine and use it to deglaze the pan.
- Toss in the peppers, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir everything together.
- Let it stew: Place a lid on the pot, and turn down the heat to low. Then let everything stew for 30 minutes making sure to stir everything a couple of times. Then take the lid off, and stir everything together again. Finally, let it continue to simmer without the lid for another 30 minutes, or until the peppers are as soft as you like.
- Finish the peperonata by adding salt and pepper to taste, along with a few slivers of fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!
Peperonata Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Bell peppers deseeded and cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch chunks
- 1 Large red onion cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch chunks
- 4 Roma tomatoes medium diced
- 3 Cloves of garlic minced
- 4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
- ½ Cup of dry white wine
- Basil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sautee the onion and garlic: Get out a large pot, pour the 4 tablespoons of olive oil in it and place it over medium-high heat. Toss in the onion and sautee them for 5 minutes or until they become translucent. Then toss in the garlic and continue to saute for another minute.
- Pour in the wine and use it to deglaze the pan.
- Toss in the peppers, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir everything together.
- Let it stew: Place a lid on the pot, and turn down the heat to low. Then let everything stew for 30 minutes making sure to stir everything a couple of times. Then take the lid off, and stir everything together again. Finally, let it continue to simmer without the lid for another 30 minutes, or until the peppers are as soft as you like.
- Finish the peperonata by adding salt and pepper to taste, along with a few slivers of fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!
