Expect all the deliciousness and freshness of summer vegetables in every bite of Potatoes and Peppers (Patate e Peperoni Calabresi). A flavor-packed vegetable dish from South Italy that’s excellent as a side dish or appetizer!
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I don’t know about you, but here in Stockholm, beautiful, shiny bell peppers are available in every supermarket as soon as the weather warms up.
The best course of action? Start serving pollo alla Romana and patate e peperoni Calabresi at home — alternately, that is. 🙂
Just like peperonata from the north, and caponata from Sicily, this dish from Calabria highlights the natural flavor of vegetables (and herb) in season.
So, pick the best of those summer produce and start preparing this delicious, nutritious dish for your next meal.
IF YOU WANT MORE TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPES FROM THE SOUTH, THEN YOU WILL LIKE THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
- Olive oil – extra virgin, if possible.
- Bell peppers – you would need both green and red bell peppers for this patate e peperoni recipe.
- Eggplant – I suggest chopping this slightly smaller than the bell peppers.
- Potatoes – use the waxy type, not the floury ones.
- Tomatoes – ripe tomatoes; one large or two medium-sized tomatoes will be perfect for this recipe.
- Onion – one small, yellow onion is excellent for fried potatoes and peppers.
- Garlic – minced or sliced thinly.
- Basil – fresh basil leaves.
- Peperoncino – sometimes called ‘chili flakes.’
- Salt and ground black pepper – just use what you have on hand.
Preparation
Start by heating one and a half tablespoon of olive oil on a medium to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is ready, add the potatoes (in batches) and fry until they are cooked (photo 1).
Set the fried potatoes aside.
Add and heat the remaining olive oil, add garlic and onion, and cook until they softened (photo 2).
Add tomatoes, mix, then add peperoncino, salt, and pepper (photo 3).
Mix to combine, then add chopped bell peppers and eggplant.
Tear the basil leaves with your hands, then add them with the rest of the ingredients (photo 4).
Combine everything, cover with a lid, and cook for about five minutes.
Adjust the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the vegetables are cooked, mixing occasionally.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Add the fried potatoes and mix to combine evenly (photo 5).
Place the lid back, adjust the heat to medium and cook for no more than two minutes.
Turn the heat off and transfer into serving plates.
Serve, with fresh basil leaves, if desired.
Helpful tips
- You can chop the potatoes into chunkier bits if that’s what you prefer.
- Depending on how you cut the potatoes, fry them in batches if they don’t fit in the skillet.
- You can use any type of tomatoes (grape, Roma, cherry tomatoes, etc.), as long as they’re ripe and juicy.
Recipe variation
- No eggplant. Some skip the eggplant altogether. So, if you are not a fan, you can still enjoy this yummy summer dish.
- Oven-roasted. I’ve seen some that were cooked in the oven instead of the stovetop. That’s probably a better alternative once the weather starts to cool down.
- Calabrian chili. If you have the fresh ones, even better. I can never find them in Stockholm, so the next best thing for me to use are the dried ones — peperoncino.
FAQs
You can serve fried potatoes and peppers as an appetizer or a side dish to grilled meat and fish.
When served as an appetizer, slices of bread would go well with it — try it with this semolina bread if you are not convinced.
You can, but I don’t recommend it.
I find the texture of the vegetables changes after heating them. You can give it a try; maybe it was just me being weird.
Just make sure it has cooled down when you transfer it in a tight, freezer-proof container, and then place it in the freezer for longer storage.
So, give it a try while the weather is still warm and all these fresh ingredients are in season. Enjoy! 🙂
📖 Recipe
Potatoes and Peppers Recipe (Patate e Peperoni)
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet (10.25 inch)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp & 1 tsp olive oil
- 12 oz potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
- 2 medium bell peppers, red and green
- 1 small eggplant, diced
- handful of fresh basil leaves
- dash peperoncino
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- Place a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat, then pour 1 & 1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Once the oil is ready, add the potatoes and fry until they are cooked. Do this in batches if all the potatoes don't fit in the pan.
- Set the cooked potatoes aside.
- Add and heat the remaining olive oil, add the garlic and onion and cook until they turned soft.
- Add tomatoes, mix, then add peperoncino, salt, and pepper.
- Mix to combine, then add the chopped eggplant and bell peppers.
- Use your hands to tear the basil leaves and add them with the rest of the vegetables.
- Mix everything, cover with a lid, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Adjust the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the vegetables are cooked, mixing occasionally.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Add the fried potatoes and mix to combine evenly.
- Place the lid back, adjust the heat to medium and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and transfer potatoes and peppers into serving plates.
- Serve, with fresh basil leaves, if preferred.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: You can chop the potatoes into chunkier bits if that’s what you prefer.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Depending on how you chop the potatoes, fry them in batches if they don’t fit in the skillet.
- Cook’s Tip #3: Feel free to use any type of tomatoes (grape, Roma, cherry tomatoes, etc.), as long as they’re ripe and juicy.
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