Onions and peppers confit

Easy, tasty, perfect for a snack, or a hamburger gourmet and even on spaghetti!

What do you need

Tropea onions: 3 big ones

red peppers: 2 (and that they are sweet and meaty ...)

coppery tomatoes: 1 small (only if it smells like ... tomato!)

garlic: 1 large clove (or a pinch of garlic powder)

fresh bay leaf: 3 leaves juniper berries:

5 or 6 extra virgin olive oil:

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar:

2 tbsp dark brown soft sugar:

2 tablespoons (or a raw cane sugar)

chili pepper to taste

How to proceed

Wash the peppers, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and the white part.

Slice them into strips of about 3 mm (commit and make them regular). If the peppers are long, cut the layers in half first (that is: you do not have to make pepper spaghetti, which would become not very nice to eat).

Keep the peppers aside. Peel and wash the onions, cut them in half lengthwise and then into slices not too thin (... let's say 2 mm).

Put them in a pan over medium heat with the oil, the bay leaf, the peeled and halved garlic clove and the juniper berries.

Do not expect them to become transparent, they just have to soften, lose their liquid and absorb the oil.

Stir often and, when you see that they risk sticking (try to resist at least ten minutes), add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and count to thirty (the alcohol only needs to evaporate ...). At this point, free a small space in the center of the pan with the wooden spoon, add the sugar and let it caramelize well (if you put it on the onions it melts and you can forget the caramel ...).

Throw the peppers into the pan and sauté them with the onions until you manage to keep them from sticking.

Then add salt and add a few tablespoons of water (4 or 5, no more), stir and continue cooking. If your peppers have thin skin, you can do it without a lid (stirring often and adding a spoonful of water if necessary), otherwise cover them to let the steam help you.

Watch out for the "boiled vegetables" effect, always lurking under the lid! When the peppers are cooked - that is soft but still crunchy and not undone - season with salt, add the chilli and another spoonful of balsamic vinegar (also in this case do not pour it directly on the vegetables but make some space in the center of the pot), let it dry and turn off the heat.

Pour the confit into a glass jar and let it cool.

NOTE

Keep it in the refrigerator (it lasts a few days) and take it out whenever you feel like an invigorating snack. It works wonders on a bruschetta rubbed with garlic, on a toasted slice of brioche, with cheese and crackers, with hard-boiled eggs. Of course, you can also use it as a side dish for a slice of roast beef or boiled tongue (I know, vegetarians will turn away but I love it ...), and even season spaghetti.