peperonata

[ShadowsDad]

Peperonata

Serve on an Italian sausage sandwich or as a side with beef. An excellent sandwich is a small amount of cooked pepperoni used as a flavoring (cooked to reduce the fat content) and mostly peperonata. For an Italian sausage sandwich, first start with good sausage, fry it slowly to caramelize it, then slice it into rounds and add the rounds to the long crusty bread, then slather with the peperonata, being generous with the peperonata. Frankly the peperonata makes the sandwich, the sausage is there as flavoring for the peperonata.

I searched for this recipe for years knowing something like this existed, but not even knowing what to ask for. Enjoy it, however you decide it works for you.

Ingredients:

All quantities are approximate, don’t agonize over the amounts- it’ll come out good. We’ve been known to add an additional lb. of hot Poblano peppers to the original amount of peppers and it works fine.

1lb. Green peppers (approx 3 medium), sliced
1lb. Red peppers (approx 3 medium), sliced
1lb. Red onions (approx 3 medium), sliced (yellow onion is an acceptable substitute.)
2-6 or more lg. cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 ½ tsps dry basil
3/4 tsp dry oregano
salt and black pepper

Not in the original recipe: a small amount of sauce tomato (5 tomatoes would be good) or some tomato sauce, it will need additional time to reduce down if this is used.

If you know you’ll be making sausage sandwiches, I’d cook the sausage first in the pan you’ll be making the peperonata in. Leave the caramelized drippings in the pan and make the peperonata in the same pan, the flavor of the peperonata will benefit when it deglazes the pan drippings into itself.

Directions:
Saute the first 5 ingredients over medium heat until limp and until juices begin to coat the bottom of the pan, then the heat can be turned up until they disappear (boil away), just be sure not to burn the veggies. Add all remaining ingredients and continue a slow cook (low simmer) until the peperonata is soft and thick. This can take hours depending on many factors. We don’t hurry ours and we like it “dry” and thick, and it takes quite awhile, all the time we are “mother henning” it and reducing the heat as it gets really thick to prevent burning. The point is that it’s done when you say it’s done. We don’t stand over it stirring, but we don’t forget it either.

Something we haven’t done is to roast the outer skins of the peppers in order to remove them. If you find the lack of outer skins in the sauce to be critical, then go for it. Ours contains the skins and it works fine for us.

This recipe takes time, but it isn't difficult at all. The results are worth it.