10987 Pipérade 1 hr 25 mins 25 mins 4 to 6 servings Fri Oct 19 07:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 10 15:48:50 -0700 2009 Medium French CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/10987 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:48:50 GMT Meltingly tender peppers with ham and spice Meltingly tender peppers with ham and spice. Pipérade trumpets the versatility of French Basque cuisine. A simple sauté is enlivened with the local cured pork, Bayonne ham, and a spicy paprika known as piment d’Espelette. It’s great over braised chicken, but you can also heed Julia Child’s advice and use it to top a plain omelet.

What to buy: If you’re looking to save time, you can substitute a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes that has been drained.

Bayonne ham is a cured ham product from the French Basque country. If you can’t find it, substitute prosciutto.

Piment d’Espelette is France’s only native pepper, and it is so highly revered that it is protected by AOC status. It has a nice heat and is worth seeking out at a gourmet grocery or online. If you have trouble finding it, you can substitute cayenne or paprika.

This recipe was featured as part of our Cooking with Summer Ingredients story.

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  • Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a medium bowl halfway with ice and water. Using the tip of a knife, remove the stem and cut a shallow X-shape into the bottom of each tomato. Place the tomatoes in boiling water and blanch until the skin just starts to pucker and loosen, about 10 seconds. Drain and immediately immerse tomatoes in the ice water bath. Using a small knife, peel the loosened skin and cut each tomato in half. With a small spoon, scrape out any seeds, then core and coarsely chop the remaining flesh. Set aside.
  • Place a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When oil shimmers, add ham or prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate and reserve.
  • Return the pan to heat, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, and, once heated, add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring rarely, until soft and beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Stir in herbs and pepper slices and season well with salt. Cover and cook, stirring rarely, until peppers are slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in diced tomatoes, browned ham, and piment d’Espelette (or paprika or cayenne pepper) and season well with salt. Cook uncovered until mixture melds together and juices have slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2009/07/piperade_290.jpg Aida Mollenkamp 67 Condiment/Sauce 109 6 medium tomatoes

    ]]>     1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

    ]]>     4 ounces thinly sliced Bayonne ham (or prosciutto), cut into 1/2-inch squares**

    ]]>     54 2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced

    ]]>     74 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

    ]]>     203 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

    ]]>     228 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped

    ]]>     77 1 medium dried bay leaf

    ]]>     59 2 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cleaned and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips

    ]]>     59 2 medium green bell peppers, cleaned and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips

    ]]>     2 teaspoons piment d’Espelette (or paprika or cayenne pepper)**

    ]]>     752 euro 745 ethnic 582 basque 7545 bayonne 252 french 7546 biarritz 7547 piment 7549 cayenne 732 peppers 187 pepper 390 spicy 1074 prosciutto 388 healthy 2395 aida mollenkamp 1619 omnivore 2747 make ahead 30333 piment d'espelette 142 sauce 7596 summer ingredients 6031 bell peppers