Silky Basque Peppers with Caramelized Onions (Piperade)

Silky Basque Peppers with Caramelized Onions (Piperade)

Serves 6 as an appetizer (3-4 as a side dish)

4 peppers (red, orange, or yellow)
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 yellow onions, sliced pole to pole
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste

Preheat the grill to high for 15 min. Cut the flesh off the peppers and arrange on the grill skin-side down. Cook until the skin is mostly black. Remove to a bowl, cover, and let cook until comfortable to handle.

Set a 10 inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onions and a couple of big pinches of salt. Mix to integrate the salt and then leave your onions alone until they brown on the bottom. Stir, and continue cooking over moderately-high heat only stirring after you get color. As they continue to cook, browning will happen faster and faster, so you need to watch them closely. If the bottom of the pan ever looks dry, add more oil and if onions or the brown bits are turning black instead of brown, lower the heat just a bit. This stage takes 10-20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, another pinch of salt, and cook stirring occasionally until the garlic starts to soften, 5-10 min. Peel the peppers, slice them lengthwise, and add to the pan with onions. Add some salt and 1-2 Tbsp of water to the pan to help pick up the brown bits, stir and leave the veggies alone until all the water is absorbed, about 5 min. Repeat this deglazing procedure 3-4 times until the onions are very soft and jammy and the peppers are silky. Stir in the vinegar. Taste and correct for salt. Cool for 10 min and serve. Can be served hot or cold. Can be stored in the fridge for a week and rewarmed.

Goes really well with delicate white fish, like this sous-vide cod    • Sous-Vide Cod with Crispy Potatoes (S...  

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