This is really a sort of an Italian-inspired salsa, and is wicked good with the squid-bit tempura! I got the idea from the bits of grilled tomato and peperoncini that Uno serves with their calamari appetizer.
Ermmm, I also just happened to have a bunch of grape and cherry tomatoes right on the edge of being good for not much of anything, a couple of almost-empty jars of peppers, and some roasted garlic left over. No matter, it all cooked up into something tasty!
INGREDIENTS
•Grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
•Cherry tomatoes, cut into eighths
•Hot and/or sweet cherry peppers, chopped
•Peperoncini, sliced
•6 cloves roasted garlic, minced
•Salt and pepper
I really like Mezzetta for jarred peppers – the ‘hot’ cherry peppers aren’t really all that hot – more like ‘tingly’ – but if you can’t find cherry peppers, use any pickled peppers you like.
Toss the tomatoes with the peppers and garlic, then sauté in a hot pan until the juices have cooked down and thickened.
Season with a bit of salt and pepper and serve warm.
Nice, as I noted, with bits of squid, but quite nice rubbed on slices of lightly toasted French bread. Or, mebbe, use it to make a mighty-fine Pan-bagnat for tomorrow’s lunch.
However you choose to use it, this is one fine relish, and pretty darned simple to throw together.
Hmmm, those squid bits were good – but it is getting close to lunch time around here, and that sammich sounds awfully tempting…