Peperonata: the classic recipe for a tasty summer side dish

The stewed peppers It is a classic outline summer of the Italian tradition: easy to prepare and very tasty, it is perfect to accompany any second course of meat or fish. The indisputable protagonists of the recipe are the peppers, which together with some other ingredients give life to an irresistible dish, also excellent to serve with cold cuts and cheeses for a tasty antipasti.

Like all traditional recipes, there are several reinterpretations of the peperonata and even some regional variants: in Umbria, for example, the so-called flag is widespread, prepared with green peppers, while there sicilian pepperoni vinegar and sugar are added to it, which give the dish a pleasant sweet and sour note. ours is there version further classic of the dish, which calls for slicing the peppers and stewing them in a skillet with onion, garlic, and tomato puree.

To make the pepperonata more digestible we choose roast the peppers in the oven, to make it easier to remove the skin, which is mainly responsible for the heaviness of these colorful vegetables. For a flawless result, choose a mix of red, green and yellow bell peppersmaking sure they are firm, ripe and unbruised, and let them cook until soft but still firm.

Well when made fresh, this is one of those recipes that is even tastier the next day, and it can be kept in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.

Discover now how to prepare the classic peperonata following the step-by-step procedure and advice: good both hot and cold, it is excellent to enjoy together with slices of toasted bread, but also as a seasoning for pasta or as a filling for sandwiches and bruschetta. Being naturally free of animal-derived ingredients, it’s also suitable for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet, making it perfect for everyone.

If you liked this recipe, also try other delicious recipes based on vegetables such as ciambotta, caponata and ratatouille. Among the many recipes with peppers, do not miss the grilled peppers, the baked version and the sweet and sour peppers.

How to prepare pepperoni

Begin the preparation of the recipe by cooking the peppers in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes. 1, turning occasionally to make sure they cook evenly. In this way it will be easier to remove the skin, which for many is indigestible.

Once cooked, take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes, then peel them, remove the seeds and internal filaments, and cut them into thin slices. 2.

Now heat a drizzle of oil in a non-stick pan and brown the chopped onion and a whole clove of garlic 3.

When the onion has softened, add the peppers as well. 4add salt and simmer for about 5 minutes, covering with a lid.

At this point remove the garlic clove, pour in the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. 5always with the lid on.

The peperonata is ready to serve warm or cold 6.

Advice

If you want to reduce preparation times, but at the same time have an easily digestible peperonata, you can peel the raw peppers with the help of a potato peeler: in this case the skin will come off less easily, but you will recover the minutes. necessary for cooking in the oven.

Instead of tomato sauce you can use peeled or fresh tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes; if you prefer, you can also prepare a white peperonata, without pomodoro: it will be less creamy but it will still be excellent.

To make the peperonata even tastier, you can add the aromatic herbs you prefer, such as basil or mint, other ingredients such as potatoes, aubergines, zucchini or even black olives, capers and anchovies, whose salty note marries perfectly with the sweetness of the peppers.

variants

The sicilian pepperoni differs from the classic for its sweet and sour taste, given by the union of white wine vinegar and sugar. To prepare it, you can follow the procedure illustrated above, adding 8 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 of sugar to the cooked peppers (the indicated doses refer to 4 peppers, but in general the ratio should always be 2 to 1); let it cook until the vinegar has evaporated and the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.