Peperonata Napoletana is one of the great vegetable dishes of Naples. Made with stewed peppers and tomato, this contorni dish can be served as a starter or light lunch. It's also great to serve with pasta.
Place the peppers on a parchment lined sheet tray and then place the pan into the preheated oven. Roast the peppers for 30-35 minutes until the skin of the peppers starts to blister.
Remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Once the peppers are cool enough to touch, remove their skins. Some of the skin may stick to the peppers which is okay. You just need to remove most of the skin, not all of it.
Once skinned, slice the peppers into strips to your preferred size. We recommend 1/2 to 1" strips.
Heat oil in a 12" sauté pan. Once the oil is heated, add the garlic and cook until the garlic is lightly golden and fragrant, about one minute. Add the onions and a small pinch of salt and sauté until soft.
Add the peppers to the pan and stir them, along with another small pinch of salt, with the onions for two minutes so that the peppers and onions are well mixed. Add the diced tomatoes and stir to incorporate. Cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
Uncover the pan and add the capers and oregano. Stir, cover and cook another 10 minutes. Uncover the pan and stir until the mixture slightly thickens. It shouldn't be too watery and you should easily see the bottom of the pan when you run a wooden spoon across the pan.
Finish the dish with salt as needed and garnish with fresh oregano springs.
Pro Tips
Once cool, You can refrigerate the Peperonata for up to a week in a sealed plastic container.
You can use orange peppers in this recipe but stay away from green peppers.
You can use dry oregano if you can't find fresh oregano.