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08/17/2001 Archived Entry: "Sauteed Peppers with Olives"

I am praying for peppers. Tomorrow is market day and I am hoping that I will finally find some colored peppers – red, yellow, orange, anything but green peppers, which are unripe peppers and have a completely different flavor. They taste green. Not sweet.

Naples is to peppers, what Bologna is to tortellini. Whatever. Neapolitans are known for their adoration of peperoncini and their talent at preparing them a zillion ways. I have many Neapolitan pepper recipes that I am itching to make – and eat. There’s roasted peppers, and stuffed peppers, and roasted stuffed peppers, and fried peppers, and sautéed peppers, baked peppers, peppers with pasta ... so as not to sound like Bubba counting the countless ways to prepare shrimp in Forest Gump, I’ll stop at that.

Here’s one pepper recipe that is not in Naples At Table. If there are peppers in the market tomorrow, think of me eating this on Sunday afternoon.

Sautéed Peppers with Olives
Serves 6 as a side dish or appetizer

6 red bell peppers
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
18 oil-cured black olives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Whole flat parsley leaves

Wash, core and seed the peppers, then cut them into 1/2-inch wide strips.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the pepper strips until just tender, about 12 minutes.

Add the garlic and olives and continue to cook another 2 or 3 minutes, until the garlic is soft but not colored.

Still on the heat, season with salt and pepper, then add the vinegar. Remove from heat immediately.

Turn the peppers and any liquid in the pan into a serving dish. Serve at room temperature scattered with whole parsley leaves.