Trattoria Style Sauteed Red Peppers
- 4 blocky red bell peppers, about 6-8 ounces each
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 4 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/8-1/4 cups EVOO (I used a Spanish one)
- Fresh rosemary needles
- Toasted crushed fennel seeds, coriander seeds and whole white peppercorns (optional)
- 1 teaspoon zested orange peel (optional)
- Wash and dry the peppers. Trim off a bit of the top and bottom of each so they are sort of "square." Save those bits to use raw in salads if you like. Cut the peppers lengthwise along the creases into quarters. Remove the seeds and pithy white core. With a swivel-blade vegie peeler, remove the skin with a gentle sawing motion. This takes a bit of practice, but once you find the motion, it flows smoothly.
- Combine the orange juice, 2 TB. sherry vinegar and salt in a measuring cup and stir until salt dissolves.
- In a 12'" skillet with a lid, put in all the peppers (they won't fit in a single layer), add the o.j. mixture, then gently toss with tongs to coat the pieces. Cover and place over low heat. After 10 minutes, check to be sure peppers are gently simmering, move them around in the pan, and adjust the heat accordingly. This is about low and slow, so don't rush the process. After a total of 30 minutes, uncover the skillet. The peppers should be nicely softened. Raise the heat a bit and reduce the juices so they are thickened but not syrupy. Remove the peppers to a platter.
- Put the skillet back over medium heat and add the remaining 2 TB. sherry vinegar. Deglaze and scrape up any pepper bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 1/8 cup of the oil ( or a bit more if you want) and warm through briefly. Spoon the liquid over the peppers and toss gently.
- Finely mince some fresh rosemary needles(to your taste) and scatter over the peppers. Toss again. Let sit at room temperature, giving the peppers time to absorb the delicious sauce.
- Optional: I love fennel, coriander and white pepper crushed together as a spice mix and highly recommend adding some to your peppers. Sometimes I just use that and omit the rosemary.Toasted crushed cumin seed are also delicious. If you want to heighten the orange flavor notes, then by all means add the orange zest!
red bell peppers, fresh squeezed orange juice, sherry wine vinegar, coarse salt, evoo, rosemary needles, fennel seeds
Taken from food52.com/recipes/6563-trattoria-style-sauteed-red-peppers (may not work)