Piperade Recipes

PIPERADE BASQUAISE

Steps:

• Prepare the piperade by first heating the 4 tablespoons of fat of your choice in a heavy 8-inch frying pan or, better still, in a small oval copper or enamel pan that you can bring to the table. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook them for about 5 minutes over moderate heat, stirring them frequently until they are soft but not brown. Stir in the pepper strips, turning them in the fat now and then, letting them cook for about 10 minutes, at which point they should be tender but still crisp. Drain the chopped tomatoes thoroughly and add them to the pan, sprinkling in at the same time the dried or fresh basil and the pepper flakes or hot pepper sauce. Raise the heat and cook the tomatoes briskly for a few minutes and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until all their moisture has evaporated. Be careful that the piperade doesn't burn. Put it aside until you are ready to reheat and serve it.
• At that point, combine 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in an 8-inch heavy frying pan, and over moderate heat, cook the julienned ham for a few minutes until the strips are thoroughly heated through. Remove them at once with a slotted spoon and spread them out on paper toweling to drain.
• Meanwhile let the fat in the frying pan cool to lukewarm before pouring it into the eggs, lightly beaten with salt and pepper. Over low heat, stir the eggs with a rubber spatula until they begin to form soft, creamy curds. Remove them from the heat when they are not quite set and gently spread them over the reheated piperade. Let some of the colorful vegetables show through. Lightly scatter the ham on top, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and/or chopped chives, and serve at once.

PIPERADE

Steps:

• Cut a small X into bottom of each tomato. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add tomatoes and cook until skin begins to wrinkle and peel at the edges of the cuts, about 30 seconds. Drain, rinse with cool water and peel off skin with your fingers. Roughly chop tomatoes and set aside.
• In a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add onions, peppers and salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and peppers have started to lighten in spots, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 1 more minute.
• Stir in tomatoes, sugar and piment d'Espelette, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until tomatoes are starting to fall apart and peppers are soft but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens like a slightly runny relish, about 5 minutes more. Adjust salt.

PIPERADE (SAUTE OF PEPPERS, ONIONS AND TOMATOES)

Steps:

• Preheat broiler with broiler rack about 2 inches from heat. Broil peppers for 10 minutes, turning as skins blister and blacken. Remove peppers. When cool enough to handle, carefully peel and seed, discarding skins and seeds. Cut peppers into thin strips.
• In large skillet, using no butter or oil, combine peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic and herbs and cook, covered, over very low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Mixture should be quite thick.
• Piperade can be made ahead and put into 4 half-cup ramekins or molds. To reheat, place in boiling water bath and cook on top of stove until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

PIPERADE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler with the rack in the upper position. Cut off tops and bottoms of peppers; discard. Slice side of each pepper to open, and spread to flatten. Remove and discard ribs and seeds. Brush 1 tablespoon oil on a baking sheet. Rub peppers with oil, and flatten as much as possible. Place on sheet, skin side up. Broil until skins have blackened, about 8 minutes. Let cool. Hold peppers under running water to remove charred skins, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips (about 2 cups). Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes, and cook until skins loosen, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath until cool enough to handle, about 1 minute. Peel tomatoes, and cut into quarters. Run a knife along flesh to remove seeds; discard seeds. Cut tomatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in small ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook for 2 minutes; cover, and transfer pot to oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Brush down sides of pot with a wet pastry brush to prevent caramelized bits from burning. Add roasted pepper strips, cover, and bake for 20 minutes more. Brush down sides of pot again. Add thyme and tomato strips, and continue baking, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Brush down sides of pot again. Season with salt and pepper. Vegetables should be soft but not browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PIPERADE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the onions, garlic and peppers and cook, stirring often, until everything is soft but not browned (about 5 minutes). Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat until most of the liquid has been evaporated.
• Remove from the heat, cool, put into four small containers, and freeze.
• To make one breakfast for two people, defrost a container of the mixture in the microwave (or overnight in the refrigerator), empty it into a suitable skillet (preferably nonstick) and heat to boiling. Beat three or four eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, pour into the mixture in the skillet, and cook, stirring constantly, until the whole is creamy and saucelike (do not let the eggs cook until they are firm). Remove immediately from the skillet and serve.