Ingredients
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2-3 bell peppers, large (preferably green)
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2 medium onions
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2 cloves garlic
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400-500 g chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh but peeled)
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4 eggs
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3-4 slices ham (optionally)
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Salt
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Pepper
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1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 pinch dried thyme
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4 tbsp olive oil
Directions
Piperade is a traditional dish of the Basques – a people of a Spanish northern and a south-west French areas. The Basque language is unique and unrelated to the other languages of Europe. Basque cuisine is known to be one of the most delicious in Europe because of the abundancy of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Piperade is prepared when bell peppers are ripened. The ingredients of piperade are said to symbolize the colors of the Basque flag: white – the onion, red – the tomato, green – the pepper. That is why piperade is usually prepared with green bell papers. Though, according to the other versions, piperade is prepared with a special species of red bell peppers, that is bred in The Basque Country.
Piperade is a stew made from bell peppers and tomatoes, that is served either as a regular vegetable side dish, or a main dish, if with eggs and ham.
Eggs can be added in different ways: cracked directly into the prepared stew and baked together, or fried just as in shakshuka, or mixed and cooked over low heat like scrambled eggs, or poached, or just fried sunny side up. Any variation would be yummy!
In this recipe, I will share with you the way I prepare piperade with scrambled eggs. It has a subtle texture – perfect for breakfast or kids’ menu. Try serving piperade with baked or poached eggs to treat your guests to an exquisite dish, especially if served with grilled ham.
I recommend you try this recipe out! Enjoy!
Tip: if you’d like to quickly prepare piperade for breakfast, you can prepare it beforehand, in the evening, and warm it up and add eggs in the morning.
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Steps
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1
Done
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Seed the peppers and remove the transparent skins otherwise it will separate during cooking and the texture won’t be perfect. It is not necessary step, but I do remove those skins to get a most perfect texture. |
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2
Done
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Cut the peppers into 1x1 cm cubes or 0.5-0.7 mm thick semicircles. |
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3
Done
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Peel the onions and cut into small cubes. |
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4
Done
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Peel the garlic and chop finely. |
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5
Done
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If you use fresh tomatoes, place them into boiling water for 40-60 sec. Then take them out, peel and seed. Cut into 1.5x1.5 cm cubes. |
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6
Done
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In a large pan with high sides, warm some olive oil over low heat. |
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7
Done
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Add the onions and cook over low/medium heat until transparent (3-5 min). |
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8
Done
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Add the garlic and cook for 30 sec. Then add the peppers and mix, cover with a lid and cook over low heat for another 5 min. |
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9
Done
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Remove the lid, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook over medium/low heat for 15 min without a lid. Stir every 2-3 min. |
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10
Done
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When the liquid has evaporated – the dish is done. Add salt and pepper to taste. |
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11
Done
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Now you can add eggs. As a have already said, you can break them directly into the pan and cook for a few minutes until the eggs are done (either on the stove or in the oven). Or prepare poached eggs in another pan and serve with piperade. How to serve: Place pipenade in a serving plate and place a cooked egg on top. You may also garnish the dish with a slice of ham, it enhances the subtle sour sweet flavor of pipenade. How to keep: Pipenade can be kept refrigerated up to 3 days (without eggs).
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