These peppers have the glorious colors and fragrance of the Italian summer. Make sure to use large, thick fleshed, fresh peppers, yellow or red. The green ones are not sweet enough for this recipe.
If possible, use small capers preserved in salt, as they are more aromatic and less pungent than the pickled ones.
Recipe
- 2 large red or yellow peppers
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped or pressed
- 1 tablespoon salted capers, rinsed
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon basil or mint leaves
Directions
Deseed the peppers and cut them in 1/2-inch wide strips. Heat up a large cast iron or other heavy pan, add the olive oil and almost immediately, add the pepper strips. Stir fry over fairly high heat for about 10 minutes until the peppers start to lightly char around the edges.
Lower the heat to minimum, move the peppers strips towards the edge of the pan to make space for one additional teaspoon of olive oil. Press the garlic into the oil, then add anchovies and capers, stirring quickly until the anchovy melts.
Add the balsamic vinegar, stir for a few more minutes, sprinkle with chopped basil or mint and remove from the heat and onto a serving container. Let the vegetables rest for at least one hour or refrigerate for up to two days, they improves with time. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Serves 4
OMG: My stomach is talking to that picture!
Hi Menehune, if you make them today they’ll be great on toasted bread tomorrow!
Letizia, this must be both sweet (from the bell peppers) and tangy at the same time, what a great combination! I’m sure it does improve with time!
Hi Sandra, it’s a great make ahead dish and goes well with roast, perfect for a dinner party 😉
Love the colors in the photograph!
thanks Peter, the picture is quite realistic, you can see the dish served after a cooking class here http://tinyurl.com/nxgs2a
together with some other delicious stuff
This remains one of our favorite recipes from last year. Wonderful combination of flavors and easy to prepare.
Thanks Eric and many greetings to you and LaNita!
We don’t usually like anchovies… What do they add to the dish? Can we not use them and still be delicious?
Hi Alison
I do know that many people outside Italy don’t like anchovies because Italian restaurants abroad use ridiculous amounts of them making the dishes unpalatably salty. I have written a whole article about the use of anchovy in Italian cuisine
https://madonnadelpiatto.com/2010/02/09/the-5th-taste/
Anchovy, like other ingredients contribute a umami taste, meaning they enhance the flavor, you don’t even want to taste them. My advice is to try the recipe with the tiniest bit of anchovy to see if it is acceptable for you. If it really isn’t, then try with a tiny sprinkle of organic bouillon powder. It’s not going to be the same, but it’s probably the closest substitute.