Piperade For One Or Two 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.

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.

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 FOR ONE OR TWO

Steps:

• In a 9-in skillet, heat 2 tsp of the oil over moderate heat.
• Add the onion, green pepper, and 1/8 tsp of the salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes until softened.
• Add garlic and tomatoes and saute 4-5 minutes longer or until the mixture is dry. Transfer to a medium-size bowl and set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, water, and remaining 1/8 tsp salt and pepper.
• In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tsp oil over moderate heat.
• Add the eggs, reduce heat, cook, covered, for a minute.
• Spoon the vegetable mixture on top, cover and cook 2 minutes more or until the vegetables are heated through and the eggs are set.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with the freshly minced basil.

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 (BASQUE SCRAMBLED EGGS)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and cook onion until softened and beginning to turn golden. Add peppers and cook 15 minutes, until tender. Add tomatoes, garlic, basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until tomatoes are pulpy. Thoroughly beat eggs in a small bowl, add to tomato mixture, and stir until they begin to thicken; remove from heat before they solidify. Serve on heated plates, topped with fried ham slice or slices, and surrounded with croutons.;

PORK PIPERADE

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine flour and half of seasoning mix. Add pork, a few pieces at a time, and toss to coat; shake off excess., In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add pork; stir-fry until browned, 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; cover and keep warm., In same skillet, heat olive oil. Stir-fry onion and peppers until crisp-tender. Chop tomatoes; add to skillet. In a small bowl, combine remaining taco seasoning and reserved tomato juices. Add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return pork to skillet; heat through.

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.