Baya’s Algerian Green Pepper Spread

I learned how to make this Green Pepper Spread from my Algerian friend, Baya.  Although Baya calls it a Green Pepper Salad, she serves it before a meal with a baguette; I call it a spread and use it as an appetizer. The added advantage is that it is vegetarian and actually good for you.

Ingredients:

  1. 4 large-sized Green Peppers
  2. 3 medium sized ripe tomatoes
  3. 5-6 cloves of garlic
  4. A teaspoon of salt
  5. ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
  6. 3-4 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
  7. A teaspoon of sugar

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Place the four peppers in a small baking dish and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
  3. Take the peppers out of the oven and cover each one with tin foil and seal them in as much as possible and place them in the oven for another 10-12 minutes.
  4. After cooling them for 20 minutes, open the foil slowly (be careful of trapped heat and steam).
  5. Slowly peel the skin of each pepper and also take out the seeds and the stems.
  6. Chop the flesh of the roasted peppers in small pieces.
  7. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them in very small pieces.
  8. Either peel the skin off the tomatoes with a sharp knife or place them in a pot of hot water for 2-3 minutes and then peel them (this way the skin comes off easily). Then dice the tomatoes.
  9.  In pan, put 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil and heat for 2-3 minutes.
  10. When the oil is hot, put the garlic pieces in and cook the garlic for a minute or so (do NOT brown the garlic).
  11. Next put the diced pieces of the roasted green peppers.
  12. Add salt and black pepper and stir constantly.
  13. After cooking the peppers for 5 minutes, add the diced tomatoes and stir thoroughly.
  14. Cook on low heat for another 10-15 minutes (till the moisture from the vegetables evaporates and you see the olive oil collecting on the sides of the pan.
  15. Add a teaspoon of sugar and stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes (stir frequently).
  16. Pour the last table spoon over the vegetables and turn the heat off.
  17. Serve at room temperature with a sliced baguette or some savory crackers.

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comments

  1. Permalink Submitted by Surbhi on Tue, 15/10/2013 - 16:08

    Hi Shabnam
    Step N-1 is pour the Olive oil on veggies? Also cant see the numbers very well on the screen. This looks like a simple appetizer, I’m going to try it soon.

    • Permalink Submitted by Shabnam on Tue, 15/10/2013 - 17:00

      Sorry Surbhi – this is one of the first few recipes I had uploaded and then when my website got hacked, I had to switch servers and it seems that in the transfer some of the formatting has gotten messed up. I’ll try to fix it. But the recipe’s first step is to bake the peppers in an oven (NO OIL ON THEM) – just put them in the oven and when they blister, take them out, cover them with foil and back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes – this helps in separating the skin from the flesh. Then just peel the peppers and then cook them in a pan with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. My kids and I love this spread – its easy, healthy and delicious! Let me know how yours turns out. Just make sure that you don’t burn the garlic (otherwise it gets bitter) – cook it on low heat in a shallow pan. I hope this helps 🙂

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