Peppers with olives and capers in a tangy dressing is one of my favorite recipes, also because it reminds me of my mother who used to make it often, especially on Sundays. It is a very easy side dish that I prepare in two different ways, depending on whether I have grilled peppers, perhaps leftover from previous recipes or Sunday’s lunch, or fresh peppers to cook. Peppers with olives and capers in a tangy dressing can accompany meat or fish dishes, or we can use them as a filling for tasty pizzas, sandwiches, and savory pies; they can be served either hot or cold, and they will still be delicious.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plentiful)
- to taste fine salt
- to taste pitted black olives
- 1/2 coffee cup white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- to taste salted capers
- to taste chopped parsley
Preparation
Pit the black olives. Rinse the capers under running water.
If using fresh peppers, remove the waste parts, seeds, and internal white ribs and cut them into strips at least a finger wide.
Place them in a pan, add some fine salt, cover, and let them cook without adding anything else for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning. This way, the peppers will start to release their water and soften a bit, absorbing less oil afterward.
After 5-6 minutes, remove the lid, add the extra virgin olive oil, black olives, capers, and the garlic clove in its skin, stir, and let them flavor for another 5 minutes, stirring often over high heat.
After five minutes, add the vinegar and let it evaporate for a few minutes, stirring often, until the vinegar smell becomes less intense (about two or three minutes). Cover the pan, lower the heat, and let the peppers become tender but not mushy; based on our taste, we’ll decide how long to cook them. Finish our peppers with olives and capers in a tangy dressing with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.
If using grilled peppers, remove the burnt skin thoroughly and place them on a plate, being careful to also preserve the juice that will come out.
Heat some oil in a pan along with the garlic clove. As soon as the garlic begins to sizzle, add the peppers, capers, pitted olives, pepper juice, stir, and let them flavor for about 5 minutes. Then pour in the vinegar, let it evaporate, salt, cover, and let it flavor for about 10 minutes over low heat. Cooking times will be much faster in this case. Finish the dish with chopped parsley in this case as well.
Choose the version you like best.
