Week 11 - Green Peppers, Roman Style (Peperoni a Pomodori)

 Green Peppers, Roman Style (Peperoni e Pomodori)

Recipe 11 - 52 in 2022

Side Dish #2

    This recipe comes from Better Homes & Gardens - Meals with a Foreign Flair, published in 1963. I think this cookbook is interesting, because it feels to me like the early 1960s is when the basic, American housewives and their families started experimenting with foods from other cultures. I personally love trying foods from different cultures and I enjoyed looking through this book for a recipe. I've made Italian food before; I've just never made a dish with the main ingredient being green peppers. The recipe calls for only 1 teaspoon of basil, but a little more would be fine also. It was pretty easy to make and would be tasty with a side of or on top of your favorite pasta and chicken or beef. I didn't have pasta ready to make, but I did have some leftover sirloin steak, cooked to medium rare, so I just had a simple dinner of the peppers and the steak. You could have this as a meal, just with garlic bread.  

    I thought this sauce was good and it would work with other vegetables as well. Maybe some sliced zucchini or yellow squash, or maybe even served as sauce on spaghetti squash. I liked this with the green peppers, but would be interested in trying it with zucchini or yellow squash. Whatever you decide, green peppers or substituting zucchini or spaghetti squash, I hope you enjoy this side dish.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup thinly slice onion

2 cloves, garlic, minced (I used 3 cloves)

1/4 cup olive oil (I forgot I bought olive oil and used canola)

2 cups stewed tomatoes

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper (I used about 1/8 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon basil

4 to 5 large green peppers, cut in strips, 3/4 inch wide (4 cups) (I used 5 peppers)

Directions:

Cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet until tender; add tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. In a separate large skillet, cook peppers in the remaining oil, turning often, until crisp-tender. The original directions say to "Remove to warm dish; season. Pour sauce over." However, I simply used a large pair of tongs to move the peppers into the skillet with the sauce and combined.  Serve with parmesan cheese and red chili flakes. Serves 5 to 6. 

Green Peppers, Roman Style (Peperoni a Pomodoi)

Green Peppers, Roman Style (Peperoni a Pomodoi)
with Parmesan Cheese