For me, peppers are the gift that keeps on giving. Whenever I eat a roasted pepper it seems to stay with me forever. My sister, who’s a dietician, told me it’s because they have so little acid in them. Knowing this, I came up with a way to do two cool things—eat peppers without having them stick around all day and make a yummy peperonata—simply by adding a bit of sherry vinegar (a.k.a. acid) to the mix. The vinegar adds a lovely brightness to this dish, and the pimentón (smoked paprika) gives it a rich smokiness—both of which are unbelievably good with the creaminess of the goat cheese. Of course, you don’t have to serve this with goat cheese the way I do; you can make a batch of peperonata just to have in the fridge to throw on a sandwich—like a condiment—or to pull out and serve on bread when someone comes over for a drink. This is one of my personal super-secret flavor weapons!

　　

Ingredients

serves: 6 ot 8

　　Extra virgin olive oil

　　2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice

　　Pinch of crushed red pepper

　　Kosher salt

　　2 cloves garlic, smashed

　　1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, pith removed, and cut into 1/2-inch diamonds

　　1/4 cup tomato paste

　　1/2 teaspoon pimentón (smoked paprika)

　　2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

　　1 8- to 10-ounce log of goat cheese, at room temp

　　Chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)

　　1 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices, toasted or grilled

　　

Step 1

Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil, add the onions and red pepper, season with salt, and bring to medium heat. Cook the onions until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t brown.

　　

Step 2

Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes; it should start to smell really good!

　　

Step 3

Add the peppers and 1/4 cup water; season with salt. Continue cooking until the peppers have softened and the water has evaporated, another 8 to 10 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Add the tomato paste, pimentón, and sherry vinegar and stir to combine; taste for salt (it will probably need more). Cook until the mixture comes together and looks tightened up and slightly thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

　　

Step 5

I like to squish the goat cheese into a serving bowl and nestle the peperonata in the center rather than spooning it over an entire log—it’s more rustic-looking this way. Garnish with chives if you like and serve with baguette slices.

　　Cook Like a Rock Star