Do you like garlic, tomatoes and peppers? Then Pipérade,a delicious stew made from peppers, tomatoes, and onions slow-cooked and topped with easy-to-make chickpea ‘eggs’ is the perfect recipe for you!!
Piperade is a Basque dish from southwest France that takes its name from the local word for pepper — pipèr. It is known as Piperrada in Spain.
It is traditionally made using piments d’Anglet, a long, thin green pepper that is cultivated in the region. As this type of pepper is largely unavailable elsewhere, green bell peppers are generally substituted although in a departure from the traditional recipe I usually choose red and yellow peppers over green as they are sweeter.
Piperade combines the peppers with onion, garlic and tomatoes to produce a dish similar to ratatouille (without the aubergine and courgette) that may be served as a side dish or as a topping for pasta.
It is often topped with eggs, which are poached in the sauce. Of course, my version will be without eggs, but I added a chickpea batter mixed with kala namak (Himalayan Black Salt) which looks and tastes similar.
Piperade or pepperade originated in the 19th century within the French Basque region. The name of this dish comes from the Latin word “piper,” which means black pepper. Piperade is usually made with green capsicums and tomatoes and the colours are said to reflect the colours of the red, white and green Basque flag.
Traditionally Piperade is seasoned with a uniquely Basque spice called Espelette pepper which comes from the little French town of Espelette where small and mildly spicy peppers are grown, dried, and ground into a powder. This pepper maxes out at 4,000 on the Scoville scale so it has a mild heat.
Espelette pepper can be hard to find and very expensive to buy. As an alternative, you can combine paprika (not smoked) with a little cayenne pepper or else thinly slice a jalapeño (seeds optional depending on your heat ambition) and add them to the bell peppers. What you do will depend upon what is available and also your appetite for heat.
My favourite vegetables are sweet peppers so any recipe featuring them is sure to go down well with me! Any colour peppers can be used so use a mix to make it even more colourful!
Piperade is a quick and easy meal to make, perfect for warm days when you do not want to be stuck in the kitchen. Is this you because it is definitely me!!! I hate to be indoors so as long as it is not raining I am outside.
Piperade Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil if you can.
- Bell Peppers: Use any peppers you like, green is traditional but I prefer red and yellow for sweetness. You can realistically make this recipe with any peppers of your choosing. Consider adding an Espelette pepper or two if you have them.
- Onion: You can use white or red onion, whichever you prefer.
- Garlic: freshly crushed garlic, frozen garlic or garlic paste can be used.
- Tomatoes. Use fresh or canned. You can peel the tomatoes if you’d like, though I usually do not. If you use tinned tomatoes then add some sugar to give them the sweetness fresh tomatoes have.
- Piment d’Espelette. Piment d’Espelette is a chili powder made from Espelette peppers from the Basque region. You can use paprika and cayanne pepper as a substitute.
- For the vegan eggs:
- Chickpea Flour: This serves as the egg replacer. The chickpea flour and its binding properties are what makes up the egg texture.
- Kala Namak: This is a Himalayan black salt, in its rock-form it’s violet to black, when ground it’s pink in color. Due to its high sulfur content, it’s perfect for all dishes that benefit from an “eggy” taste and smell.
- Water
Simply fry the onions and peppers gently with the garlic until the onions are translucent. It is important to cook it gently.
Why? Any type of frying is all about temperature control. Vegetables like onions and garlic should be cooked gently on a low heat so they do not burn. If they do they will be black and bitter spoiling the whole dish.
Add the tinned tomatoes along with the sugar. The sugar might seem like an odd ingredient but it really enhances the taste of the tinned tomatoes.
Why? Tinned tomatoes will have lost the sweet taste that sun ripened tomatoes would have so adding a bit of sugar really brings them back to life.
Cook the Piperade until the mixture gets thick enough that when you drag a spoon through the mix it does not flow back together.
For the eggs, mix chickpea flour with kala namak and water. Add the chickpea batter, put the lid on the pan, and let it cook until the batter sets.
I love lots of garlic and black pepper in mine but again this can be adjusted to personal taste. Garlic bread is what I serve it with, the perfect accompaniment to everything in my opinion! You could always serve it with my One Hour Soft White Bread too because both are delicious!
You can easily double this recipe or favor one ingredient more than another, for example, if you like more onions than tomatoes. Likewise you can cook all the vegetables until they’re very soft and jam-y, or keep the peppers a little al dente. It’s up to you.
Pipérade can be served hot or at room temperature. It’s particularly good in late summer when tomatoes and peppers are in season and at their glorious best.
We eat this often in summer as my uncle grows tomatoes (sooo many tomatoes!!) and there are loads be used up. If you are using fresh tomatoes you can leave out the sugar as they do not need it. I also add courgettes and onions from my vegetable patch when they are in season. It’s a very versatile recipe as you can add any quick cooking vegetables such as mushrooms or courgettes that you happen to have to hand.
Piperade perfect for those days you find vegetables at back of fridge which are past their best and you need to use them up! I am sure I can not be the only person that happens to. I`m full of great intentions and then forget them until suddenly they are looking a bit sad and I need to use them fast!
To Serve:
It is delicious with a thick slice of fresh bread, or hot buttered toast on the side; however I do enjoy on it’s own too. It also makes a great wrap filling. Garlic bread is what I serve it with, the perfect accompaniment to everything in my opinion! You could always serve it with my One Hour Soft White Bread too because both are delicious!
Did you make this recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #aveggiecooks and tag @aveggiecooks__. I would love to see it!
Vegan Piperade
Ingredients
- 2 Large Onions (sliced)
- 2 Large Peppers (sliced)
- 2 Cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Mixed Herbs
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- Cayanne pepper to taste
- Salt and Black Pepper
- 60 gm Chickpea Flour
- 120 ml Water
- 1 Teaspoon Kala Namak
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large deep frying pan
- Fry the onions, peppers and garlic gently until the onions are translucent
- Add the tinned tomatoes and sugar along with the mixed herbs and spices
- Cook gently while stirring constantly until the mixture is thick. It is thick enough when you move it with a spoon and it leaves a trail in the mixture.
- Add salt and pepper to your taste. Do not season before it reduces or it may be overseasoned
- For the eggs, whisk together in a small bowl: chickpea flour, kala namak, and water.
- Use a spoon to add the chickpea batter onto the Piperade in dollops, put the lid on the pan, and let it cook until the batter of the 'eggs' sets.
- Once the chickpea eggs have thickened, serve with garlic bread and enjoy!
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