This is a really easy side dish, great as a topping for toast or a side dish with cured meat.
3 large, long red peppers (the ‘Romano’ or similar – in Greece this would be ‘Florina’ type peppers.)
3 whole cloves of garlic, with the skins on
Small handful of the wrinkly black olives (known in Greece as hamádes) – stones removed
Olive oil
Half a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Slice the red peppers into fairly long, thin strips.
In a medium sized frying pan heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add the pepper slices and the whole garlic cloves. Cook on a medium heat, for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. The idea is to end up with soft, gooey strips of red pepper and soft squishy cloves of garlic.You mustn’t let it burn or the garlic will become bitter.
Squeeze the flesh of the garlic out of the papery skins – get rid of the skins.
Now add the olive to the pan and cook for another few minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat, add the balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and season.
Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.