Recipe: Sweet Pepper Peperonotta (using anchovy, basil, garlic and onion)

SWEET PEPPER PEPERONATA

"This exemplifies the simple, delicious Tuscan food I grew up eating. I make it year-round, but it's especially good from late summer to early fall, when antioxidant-rich peppers are prime time. The colorful mix of stewed sweet peppers and onions is great as a condiment with cheese and charcuterie, a filling for an omelet, or a topping heaped on a piece of roasted fish or chicken. It also holds its own as a side dish, whether hot out of the pan or served room temperature. Peperonata is even better a few days after making it, so this one is a go-to of mine when I'm cooking for a group and want a few make-ahead dishes."



"If you like to flip food around a lot while it cooks, this recipe is an exercise in self-restraint. With too much fiddling that deep browning won't happen, so go easy on it-nurture the browning."

2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided use
1 olive oil-packed brown anchovy fillet, minced
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
2 large yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Crack the garlic cloves by giving each one a tap with the flat side of a knife until they split open. In a large, cold high-sided pan, combine V4 cup of the olive oil, the garlic, and anchovy, then crank the heat to high. When the oil is hot and you see the first wisps of smoke coming off the pan, add the bell peppers (so they get the most heat), then the onion, and season with salt and black pepper. Let the vegetables do their thing in the oil without stirring for about 4 minutes.

Stir briefly and let cook for 2 minutes before stirring again. After another minute, or when the pan starts to look dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir to coat. Cook until the peppers and onion show browning around the edges and have shrunk down some, about 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-high. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Cook for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add the basil and continue cooking for 10 minutes, tossing every couple of minutes

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Serve immediately, or let it come to room temperature and store in the refrigerator.

Makes 4 to 6 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health with Food That Tastes Great by Marco Canora