Red Pepper Chutney

Name: Red Pepper Chutney
Yield: makes about 2 cups
Ingredients: 2 large or 3 medium red bell peppers (about 1 pound total); 1 poblano pepper; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon capers, drained; 2 teaspoons tomato paste; 3 large shallot lobes, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup); 1 clove garlic, chopped; 1/4 fennel bulb, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/4 cup); 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; Kosher or sea salt; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus more as needed; 1 teaspoon sugar, plus more as needed

December 14, 2011

I’m a freak for sweet-and-sour flavors and an admitted chile-head. That’s why I like Southeast Asian food so much, but the same combination of flavors characterizes food from other places, such as this rustic Italian-inspired chutney. I first made it when I was looking for single-serving appetizers: something small to calm my raging appetite (what I like to call “hanger”) while I’m cooking. This flavor-packed condiment does the trick, particularly when served on top of good ricotta on toast. But it can also be one of those condiments that you keep around as the basis for main courses. Toss it in hot pasta, slather it on Three-Pepper Pizza with Goat Cheese (page 118), or use it to top Low, Slow, and Custardy Eggs (page 30) or Shrimp and Potato Chip Tortilla (page 35). I got the idea from the fabulous A16: Food + Wine, by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren, but kicked it up by adding a poblano pepper, plus more red pepper flakes and garlic, and balanced it out with a little sugar.

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