Piperade recipe - Food and recipes of France
Piperade is definitely a southern France / Basque speciality, relying on the excesses of tomatoes and peppers in the region.
Finely sliced onion
3-4 Peppers - mix of red and green, at least one of each, chopped into quite large pieces
3-4 large ripe tomatoes - peeled (put them in hot water for a moment to make this easy) and chopped. Deseeded preferably.
Fresh chilli, according to taste and hotness wanted.
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
thyme / bayleaf (fresh preferably!)
4 eggs, beaten
Method
- Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Gently cook the onion until it is soft.
- Add the peppers, and cook gently for 10 minutes.
- Now add the tomatoes, garlic, chilli and herbs, and continue to cook until it is pretty mushy.
- Add the beaten eggs to the mixture and cook exactly as with scrambled eggs - i.e. remove from the heat when they start to thicken / solidify.
- Serve with a slice of grilled gammon (ideally Jambon de Bayonne) placed on top.
- Of course I hardly need say that if you don't have ham, bread will make a fine substitute.
