Fried green peppers with Papa Basile
In this cooking video, we welcomes my dad, Luigi ‘papa’ Basile, who is sharing one of his favourite side dishes, or contorni, as it’s known in Italian — fried green peppers with onions, garlic, diced tomatoes and a touch of red chillies. This is an easy and tasty recipe, particularly if you like something with a bit of tang. It’s essential to have some fresh Italian crusty bread on hand to eat with the peppers! Resident chef, Naz Cugliari, of Il Forno Restaurant in Hampton is with us, too, of course!
Ingredients
3 green peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, either whole or finely chopped (depending on taste)
1 onion, sliced
Pinch of red chilli, to taste
1 x 450ml can of diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes, diced)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for frying
Loaf of fresh Italian crusty bread, to serve
Method
Heat up olive oil in large saucepan.
When hot, add onions and garlic, and cook until brown (don’t overcook as they’ll continue cooking with the peppers and tomato).
Add peppers to the saucepan, and if the oil dried up, feel free to add more olive oil.
Add plenty of salt, place the lid on the pan, and allow to cook for a further 15-20 minutes.
Add tomatoes to the saucepan, stir them in, and cook for another 10 minutes (stir occasionally).
Add a pinch of red chilli, to taste (optional!)
Serve on top of fresh crunchy Italian bread.
Enjoy!
