I’m always on the lookout for seriously good vegetable recipes for my family, particularly ones that don’t look like a portion of veg stuck on the side of your plate. These peppers can be eaten by themselves with a hunk of bread to soak up all the juice or fish for a light dinner or a juicy rib eye steak for the ultimate food high.
Summer is the best time to make this recipe as both the peppers and tomatoes are British grown, sweet and full of flavour because they are at the height of their growing season and at their cheapest.
Miraculous ingredients: Peppers (not the green ones), non pareille capers in brine, anchovy fillets, Santini baby plum tomatoes (M&S sells this variety)
Ingredients
3 peppers, red, orange and yellow
1 tbsp non pareille capers in brine
1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
2 anchovy fillets cut into small pieces
6 Santini baby plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cider or white wine vinegar
5 basil leaves
Method
Turn the oven onto 180C (electric fan) to heat up while you prepare the ingredients.
Cut the peppers in half and de-seed. Lay all the peppers in the roasting tray and fill each half with a few slices of garlic, some capers, a couple of pieces of anchovy fillet, 3 or 4 halves of baby plum tomatoes (I squish them with my fingers first) and finish with a dash of vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the tray with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the foil, reduce the temperature to 150C and roast for a further 30 minutes.
Serve with some torn basil leaves placed inside each pepper. The heat from the peppers will release the distinctive basil fragrance.
Preparation time 10 minutes, cooking 1 hour, serves 4