Serves: 4-6 - Time:
In this country, the term sweet and sour brings to mind Chinese cooking-namely the unwholesome deep-fried pork balls slathered in a vivid orange, gelatinous sauce. However, these peppers have their origins in Italian cooking, which has a long history of agrodolce dishes, especially those from Sicily like caponata. The peppers go with virtually everything- serve them as an antipasti with mozzarella and cold meats, with grilled chicken, braised sausages…you get the gist. I like them at room temperature but you could serve them at both ends of the temperature scale too.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 3 red peppers, halved, deseeded and sliced
- 3 yellow peppers, halved, deseeded and sliced
- 50g sultanas
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons capers in vinegar, drained
- Basil leaves to garnish
Method
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan or sauté pan and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes over a low heat, stirring regularly. Add the peppers, stir and cover with a lid. Cook, stirring every few minutes, for 15 minutes.
- Add the sultanas, stir and cook for a further 15 minutes. Turn the heat up and add the vinegar and sugar. Boil for 1 minute. Take off the heat and stir in the capers. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Leave to cool to room temperature. Garnish with basil leaves just before serving.
