Sunshine Pipérade

Pipérade is a classic Basque (France) stew made with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic. This simple sauté is a great accompaniment for omelettes, scrambles eggs, braised chicken, grilled meat, fish, pasta, toast, bruschetta, pizza topping or by itself. Pipérade is usually  made with broiled/roasted peppers. I used the stove top to cook the peppers and rest of the ingredients.

 

Serves 2

1/2 medium white Onion

1 Plum tomato * I used Roma (chopped)

1 Tomatillo (chopped)

1 Garlic clove (minced)

1 small Yellow sweet pepper (chopped)

1 small Red sweet pepper (chopped)

1 small Orange sweet pepper (chopped)

1 teaspoon EV Olive oil or Butter

1/2 teaspoon fresh Thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)

1 teaspoon Hotsauce (optional) * I used Texaspete hotsauce

Black Pepper (ground) to taste

Salt to taste

 

Method

• Heat oil/butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onions, let it sweat and soften. Add garlic and  sauté for a minute.
• Add chopped peppers and cook for about 8-10 minutes.* If you have roasted peppers, use those.
• Stir frequently. Add tomatoes and thyme. Cook for another 10 minutes. Brush the sides of the pan.
• Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cover the skillet and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Let the vegetables soften but not browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

It was a stew like sauce with a tang from tomatillo and heat from the hotsauce. I loved the warm colours and the lemony scent of the thyme. We had it as a side for Italian Calzone and a big bowl of spring mix  🙂