What I love most about this recipe is its name – Piperade!  Try saying it out and you will know what I mean. I tried learning how to pronounce it properly, but people are pronouncing it differently in different audios. So I am going to stick to my version – Pipparade :D!

Though the name is fancy and really interesting, the dish is a really simple one. It’s no more than sauteed onions and peppers with some tomatoes in it. What makes it French is the chilly that goes into it – Piment d’Espelette. A common substitute is cayenne pepper and that’s what I have used in this recipe.

The flavors include a combination of sweetness from the peppers and onions, heat from the chilly used and a little tartness from the tomatoes. But the sweetness dominates. This dish can be used in a variety of ways. One common way is to break an egg into it and bake/cook until its set. With a grilled piece of bread on the side, that would be a great meal for a busy day.

It can be a main dish, side dish or a condiment depending on how you serve it. It can be served over scrambled eggs, inside a sandwich, filling for rolls or even with rice – as one video suggested. My vote is for the grilled bread and baked eggs. But you make your choice :-). Read on for the recipe!

  

Pictorial: 

 

Blanch tomatoes by cutting a small ‘x’ in the base and then immersing them in boiling hot water for about 30 seconds or until the skin starts to kind of peel.

Drain, peel the skin, dice finely and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and sliced onions. Saute until the onion softens.

Add the peppers and saute until it softens a bit.

Add the diced tomatoes, cayenne pepper, salt and mix.

Cover and cook, stirring in between, until the peppers are done and tomato turn mushy.

Take the lid off and check the taste and consistency. If it’s runny, you can let it cook until it dries up a bit. Else you can use it as such.

Recipe adapted from: Piperade

Serves 3-4 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 pods garlic, chopped fine
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 3 peppers in different colors, cut into 1″ long pieces
• 4 tomatoes, blanched and peeled
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt as needed

Method:

1. Blanch tomatoes by cutting a small ‘x’ in the base and then immersing them in boiling hot water for about 30 seconds or until the skin starts to wrinkle and peel. Drain, peel the skin, dice finely and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and sliced onions. Saute until the onion softens.
3. Add the peppers and saute until it softens a bit.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, cayenne pepper, salt and mix. Cover and cook, stirring in between, until the peppers are done and tomato turn mushy.
5. Take the lid off and check the taste and consistency. If it’s runny, you can let it cook until it dries up a bit. Else you can use it as such.
6. Serve as a sandwich filling, over rice, with baked eggs and grilled bread or as you prefer.

This recipe goes to Blogging Marathon 55, under French recipes.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 55