Pepperonata

Heather Lionelle

GAPS, Vegan, Paleo, Grain Free, Dairy Free

• Prep: 15 minutes
• Active: 5 minutes
• Inactive: 3+ days
• Yield: 1 Quart jar

We come from an Italian family and there are often yummy condiments to enjoy on sandwiches and with the dinner meal. One such dish that is very commonly sauted is called Pepperonata. I got to thinking that there was no reason you couldn’t ferment the ingredients and end up with a yummy, slightly crunchy version. This is great on sandwiches, salads, and fajitas, but I’m sure the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed with the wrapper removed
• 1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 3 roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 3 colored bell peppers, sliced into long strips
• dechlorinated water

Directions

1. Place the sea salt, oregano, and basil in the bottom of a 1 quart jar that has a tight sealing lid.
2. Coarsely break the onion wedges into smaller chunks. It doesn’t really matter how many chunks you end up with, you just want to break it up a bit.
3. Pack the jar tightly alternating layers of onion, tomatoes, and peppers: putting in one of the cloves periodically. You may need to press pretty hard to compact the layers and fit everything inside the jar. Be sure to leave about 1 inch of headspace.
4. Cover everything with dechlorinated water leaving 1 inch of headspace in the jar. You may need to add a little more water after a few minutes when the water is able to make it’s way around the tightly packed contents.
5. Place the lid on the jar finger tight and allow to ferment at room temperature for at least three days; checking every couple of days for flavor and to release built up gases. It is done when you are pleased with the flavor. We left ours to ferment about seven days.
6. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to enjoy.