Piperada Sandwich Basque Omelette Recipes

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.

PIPERADA SANDWICH (BASQUE OMELETTE)

Steps:

• Heat 4 T olive oil in a large heavy frying pan. Add the onions and cook over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes till they are softened but not colored.
• Add the peppers, garlic and cayenne to the pan.
• Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring, then add the tomatoes, seasoning and oregano.
• Cook over moderate heat for 15-20 minutes till peppers are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Preheat oven to 400. Cut the bread in half lengthwise, trim off ends and cut into six equal pieces, brush with remaining olive oil.
• place bread on baking trays and bake for 8-10 minutes till crisp and just turning golden.
• Heat the butter in a pan till it bubbles, add eggs and cook, stirring, till softly scrambled.
• Turn off heat and stir in the pepper mixture.
• Divide evenly among the pieces of bread and sprinkle with basil, if using.
• Serve hot or warm.

PIPERRADA

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler or a grill pan. Broil the bread on a baking sheet until lightly golden brown on both sides or grill the bread until lightly golden brown on both sides. Remove the bread and rub one side of each half slice with the garlic and brush with some of the olive oil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick saute pan over high heat. Add the ham, a few slices at a time and cook until the edges just begin to crisp, turning once. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in the same saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the sherry vinegar and let reduce to a few tablespoons, add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a small bowl.
• Wipe out the pan with paper towels, return to medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Slowly cook, stirring until soft curds form. Remove from the heat and fold in the parsley. Place 2 slices of the ham on each slice of bread. Top with some of the eggs and then some of the pepper mixture. Serve on a large platter.

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 ON CRUSTY BREAD

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and slowly cook the onion for 6-8 mins to soften.
• Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes: using a sharp knife, make a cross on the top and bottom of the tomatoes. Pour boiling water into a bowl, and carefully lower the tomatoes into the water. Prepare another bowl of very cold water. After about 30 secs, drain the tomatoes, then plunge them into the cold water. The skins should now slip off easily. Cut into quarters, deseed and roughly chop.
• Throw the peppers and garlic into the onion pan, give everything a good stir and cook, covered, over a low heat for 20 mins or so until the vegetables are really soft and sweet. Stir regularly so that they don't catch on the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and cook, uncovered, for 5 mins more. Season and stir in the vinegar and the basil. Allow to cool to room temperature, stir through the basil and taste to check the flavours again. You may want to add a dash more vinegar, or a pinch more sugar, depending on how sweet your vegetables are. Spoon onto the baguette slices and serve.