Sweet-and-Sour Peppers with Oil-Cured Olives

From inthekitchenwithkath.com

(Adapted from Domenica Marchetti’s recipe in The Glorious Vegetables of Italy)

Serves 4 – 6

I made the recipe to take to a dinner party, so I chose to double it to serve 10 – 12. It was easy to do, but I used 2 large skillets because it would have been difficult to prepare the 8 peppers in one pan.

Ingredients for 4 – 6 servings (one pan)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 large red peppers, cut lengthwise into ¾-inch strips

2 large yellow peppers, cut lengthwise into ¾-inch strips

1 cup thinly sliced red onion (about ½ large)

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

¼ cup (about 45g) oil-cured olives (about 15 olives)

1. Prepare all of the ingredients so they are ready to go. (This technique is known as “mise en place” and it really does make the cooking process easier.)

2. I like to cut the ribs out of the peppers for a better presentation.

3. Cut the pits from the oil-cured olives, and cut them in half.

4. Measure the white wine vinegar.

5. Add the honey to the vinegar.

6. Measure the salt.

7. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is shimmering, add the peppers and the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the peppers are starting to soften.

8. Sprinkle the salt over the peppers. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 15 minutes. The peppers and onions should be soft and just starting to brown a bit.

9. Stir the honey and the vinegar together to make sure the honey is well-blended in the vinegar. Pour the mixture over the peppers. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until most of the vinegar has evaporated.

10. Stir in the olives and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

11. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.