Braised Bell Peppers

26 Feb

I have a new favorite supermarket, Plaza Loíza. It’s what the call locally, Cash & Carry, but lately they have awesome produce. I love that when I do groceries there, I can fill up a few bags of groceries and only spend $30, while at Grande 24hrs I can spend the same amount and only have 1 small little bag with me. Amazing…

The other day Plaza Loíza had bell peppers on sale. All bell peppers, regardless of their color – green, red, yellow or orange – all were at $1.99/lb. If you’re a fan of bell peppers and live in PR, you’d know this is a bargain. You can find the green ones at this price, but reds, yellow and orange too!!!! Very difficult to find…

Now that I had these peppers, I wanted to do something special with them. I found a recipe for braised bell peppers in an old Cooking Light cookbook. Of course I changed it a bit to make it in a smaller quantity and to make good with what I had in the pantry. It turned out so delicious I decided to share it with you…

BRAISED BELL PEPPERS

About 1 tbs olive oil

2 tsps of sofrito

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 ½ onions, sliced

A pinch of anise seed

1 tbs of tomato paste

1 cup of water

1 tbs ume plum vinegar

1 tbs fresh basil – or you could use freeze-dried too

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a skillet with tall sides over medium heat, add the oil, sofrito, pepper and onion strips. Season with salt. Sauté for a few minutes for the veggies to start to become soft. Add a pinch of anise seeds.
After about 10 minutes of cooking, add the tomato paste and mix well with the peppers/onions. Add the water and mix it all well. Bring to a boil. When it does, lower the heat and partially cover. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until peppers are soft.
After peppers are soft, stir in basil and vinegar. Add pepper. Turn of the stove and cover. Let the heat from the pot and stove finish melding the flavors together.