Recipe: Peperonata packed with herbs

Peperonata packed with herbs.

Each Thursday Eleanor Ozich of Petite Kitchen will share her thoughts on healthy eating, with recipes and more.

This simple yet incredibly delicious vegetable dish is one of my favourites, in fact I love it so much, I could happily eat it on its own. It's wonderful spooned over quinoa, brown rice or steamed millet, or served with roasted vegetables, as a filling in a wrap or alongside grilled meat or fish.

The trick is to add a couple of large handfuls of fragrant herbs and plenty of garlic to give a fantastic flavour explosion. I also add a little lemon juice right at the end, to balance out the flavours perfectly. Enjoy!

PEPPERONATA PACKED WITH HERBS

Ingredients
• Enough olive oil or ghee to cover the bottom of a pan
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 large handfuls of fresh herbs, roughly chopped*
• 2 red capsicums, seeds removed and roughly chopped
• 6-8 portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
• I like to use a mix of thyme, oregano and basil, but rosemary, sage and parsley would also work well

1. Add enough olive oil or ghee to cover the bottom of a heavy bottomed dutch oven or saucepan. Warm the oil or ghee over medium heat.

2. Add the garlic, red onion, and herbs, and saute until translucent.

3. Add the remaining vegetables, and stir to coat in the oil. Cover the pan, and reduce the heat to very low.

4. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until the vegetables become very soft. You can add a little water if they start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

5. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and a good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

6. Stir until combined, then serve.

* Gluten-free
* Dairy free (using olive oil)
* Vegetarian

- VIVA