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Piperade Sauce

see also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnZ7XGYNfwA see also: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/dining/131rrex.html

Ingredients:

  • 4 red bell peppers
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, diced or blended (or 200-250g halved cherry tomatoes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika <- important
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  2. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs.
  3. Brush the cut surfaces of the peppers lightly with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
  4. Place the peppers cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.

  5. Roast them in the preheated oven until the skin is blackened and blistering, about 30 minutes.

  6. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

  7. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  8. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  9. Add the tomato, thyme, parsley, salt, paprika, and black pepper to the skillet and stir to combine.

  10. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the tomato sauce until it is thick and flavorful, about 10 minutes.

  11. Remove the peppers from the oven and let them cool until they are easy to handle.

  12. Chop the peppers into thin strips, and add them to the tomato sauce in the skillet.
  13. Stir peppers into the tomato sauce and simmer until peppers are tender and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes.
  14. Serve the piperade hot, either as a side dish or over eggs. Enjoy!

Notes:

  • An alternative to the tomato, onion, etc. is to use some pomodoro sauce.
  • There's sometimes piment d'Espelette, hot paprika, or chili flakes to make the sauce spicy.
  • Some recipes call for a blend of different colors of bell pepper.
  • One of the fancy recipes calls for peeling off the roasted bell pepper skin and blending it into the tomato sauce.
  • Fancy French recipes also call for peeling off the tomato skin and deseeding it.
  • Some recipes skip the roasting, and just fry the bell peppers together with the tomatoes.