Fried Peppers, Eggplant and Potatoes with Vino Cotto
Fried Peppers, Eggplant and Potatoes with Vino Cotto
A classical Calabrese dish with beautiful flavours and showcases the vibrant colours of seasonal vegetables. It’s a wonderful side dish to serve warm with a beef or lamb roast or to take on a picnic lunch. Fantastic as a filling to toasted sourdough bread. This dish taste better made ahead of time to let the flavours combine.
Ingredients
1 kg mixture of red, green and yellow horn peppers, sliced lengthways, de-seeded
2 potatoes, peeled, sliced into wedges or chips
1 large eggplant
olive oil, for frying
1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 chilli pepper, optional
2 tbsp Vino Cotto
6 fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley, for garnish
Tomato sauce (optional)
1x400g can tomatoes, coarsely crushed
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove thinly sliced
1 tbsp Vino Cotto
4 fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Slice eggplant 5mm thick. Salt eggplant if old and let stand for 30 minutes. Remove moisture from eggplant dabbing with a towel. Then cut into 1cm strips.
In the meantime, heat oil in a deep frying pan, add the onion, garlic and chilli and saute over a medium heat until just tender.
Add the peppers and salt and sweat for 10-15min or until peppers just start to caramelize and are tender. Stir often. Remove and place onto a warm plate, keep warm.
Wipe frying pan clean. Heat oil (3 tbsp or more) to frying pan and fry the potatoes until lightly golden, stirring occasionally. Remove and add to plate with fried peppers.
Again wipe frying pan. Heat oil to frying pan (3 tbsp or more), add eggplants and stir fry until cooked through (approx..10minutes).
Return peppers and potatoes into frying pan along with any juices in plate, stir and warm through. Add in the fresh basil and season to taste. Add 3 tbsp of Vino Cotto and gently stir through the vegetables. If desired, add a few tablespoons at a time of the warm tomato sauce for extra flavor. Stir to combine with vegetables. Add more sauce if desired. I prefer minimal sauce as I just love the flavor combination of the fried vegetables.
Serve warm, garnish with parsley and serve with fresh crusty bread.
Tomato Sauce (optional)
Combine oil, onion and garlic in a saucepan over a medium heat and sauté until onion is translucent. Add crushed can of tomatoes, Vino Cotto, fresh basil and season to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes break down and sauce is well flavored, approx. 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Buy the Vino Cotto you need for this recipe online. Click here.