I used to dislike cooked bell peppers and assumed I didn’t like any prepared peppers — until this dish changed my mind.
Ingredients
8 long peppers (Italian, banana, Anaheim, or similar), about 1.5 lb
2 yellow onions, about 1 lb
12 tomatoes, about 3 lb
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
Olive oil
Prepping the Vegetables
Quarter the onions lengthwise and then slice crosswise. Some cooks prefer slicing the onions lengthwise; either way yields good results. Peel and finely chop or mince the garlic, and grate the tomatoes.
Remove the pepper tops.
Trim out the thick ribs near the stem.
Use your fingers to dislodge the seeds, then rinse the interiors under a strong stream of water to remove remaining seeds.
Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the peppers and avoid touching your eyes until your hands are clean. Even mild peppers can cause irritation if their oils contact sensitive areas.
Cooking
In a skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in about 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat for roughly 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the grated tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover, and simmer vigorously for 20–30 minutes until the sauce develops flavor. The sauce may be somewhat loose at this stage, which is intentional for this recipe.
While the sauce simmers, shallow-fry the peppers. Heat about an inch of oil in a frying pan and fry a few peppers at a time so they have room to cook evenly.
Fry the peppers for 3–5 minutes. They don’t need to be fully cooked — just softened and slightly collapsed, since they will finish cooking in the tomato sauce.
Arrange the fried peppers in a single layer in a baking dish and spoon the tomato sauce evenly over them.
The sauce will look a little thin now; that’s fine. The liquid helps the peppers continue to cook in the oven, and some moisture will evaporate as the pan bakes.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 minutes. Remove the dish, sprinkle crumbled feta over the peppers, then return to the oven for another 8–12 minutes until the feta is warmed through and lightly golden.
Serve warm. The combination of tender peppers, savory tomato sauce, and creamy feta makes an excellent side dish or light main. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days and can be reheated gently.