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Tip: Keep Piperade in Your Freezer

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | September 11, 2011 14 Comments

Last updated on August 28th, 2012

Piperade — an aromatic saute of bell peppers, onions, garlic and fresh herbs — is probably the most sensible thing I keep in my freezer. Why? Because it transforms everyday foods into something special — for practically no effort at all. I use handfuls of piperade to add color and flavor to omelets, pasta dishes, fish fillets and yes — even frozen pizza. It’s a cinch to prepare:


Piperade
Ingredients for about 4 cups
2 large green bell peppers
2 large red bell peppers
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh herbs, such as parsley and thyme
Olive oil

Slice into thin strips the peppers and onions. Pour a glug of olive oil into your skillet, add the onion, and let it cook slowly until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Then add peppers, garlic and herbs. Saute until the peppers are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.

To freeze piperade, let the mixture come to room temperature. Then pour into zip lock bags or sturdy plastic tubs, and freeze for up to one year. Because I am a family of 2, I freeze mine in double-serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Adele says

    September 19, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    Isn't it amazing how such simple ingredients, like the piperade you describe, can add a flair of sophistication to just about anything?

  2. 2

    Cooking Good says

    September 19, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    This is a great way to preserve fresh peppers from the garden. Thanks for posting the recipe!

  3. 3

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    September 19, 2010 at 7:13 pm

    Cooking Good – welcome to A Garden for the House!

  4. 4

    Donna B. says

    September 12, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    This post is a revelation – I never thought to make this is a large batch and freeze it! I think I need to go through your archives and virtually pillage your brain for inspiration!
    I consider this triad to be utter perfection in any dish. [Although I quadruple the garlic much to my boyfriend's dismay, mmm… garlic… hehe!]

  5. 5

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    September 12, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    Donna B. – Julia Child once commented that the only way to avoid garlic breath is to make everyone is eating it. I concur.

    As for the archives…pillage away!

  6. 6

    Judy Pennington says

    April 1, 2012 at 9:59 am

    I am soooo glad I was persisitant! The first link I found to this article and recipe gave the me the old “this page cannot be found” message, so I went down the list of archived articles and found it under a different name! So glad, every time I have tried to freeze onions or peppers, I did them fresh and the results were not pleasant. Ugh! I had a bumper crop last year and still have many in the freezer that I haven’t used because of the taste. Not sure what I’ll do with them but I am sure what I will do with the ones (God willing) I grow this year! Thanks Kevin.

  7. 7

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    April 3, 2012 at 7:56 am

    Judy – When A Garden for the House migrated from google blogger to WordPress, every single link became broken. Although I’ve fixed hundreds of links, I still have 1000 more to do! So I’m glad you found this piece.

    Anyway, cooking onions and peppers together as Piperade is the very best way to preserve these veggies. And what a convenience to have on hand. Lately I’ve been making vegetarian pizza, by simply spreading homemade tomato sauce on the dough, then topping with Piperade and cheese. It’s not only delicious to eat, but pretty to look at. A simple omelet becomes a masterpiece when topped with Piperade, as does a plate of pasta. Piperade does wonders for a sauteed chicken breast, too!

  8. 8

    Anne B says

    June 24, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    Well, I’m going to make this when my bell peppers turn orange, red and yellow! I use these same ingredients all the time in cooking. Great idea to have them all ready. Thank you.

  9. 9

    Anne B says

    June 24, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    And i agree with Donna B. Lots more garlic! Fortunately, my true love loves garlic too.

  10. 10

    Denise in NJ says

    August 28, 2012 at 1:57 pm

    This is a great idea, but since I’m short on freezer space, I’d like to know if it can be canned.

  11. 11

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    August 28, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    Hi Denise – I can’t honestly say if Piperade is suitable for canning. I always freeze it. And it is the first thing I run out of!

  12. 12

    Ottawagal says

    March 17, 2014 at 10:44 am

    I recently sauteed and froze fresh mushrooms. Can I assume you could add these to the Piperade?

  13. 13

    Chit says

    August 5, 2014 at 9:13 am

    Wow…this is good to know. Very handy at any time and a good idea to keep bell pepper from rotting. Thank you!

  14. 14

    virginia says

    June 6, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    This is a good idea. Now I know what to do to save my peppers. Thanks Kevin…Enjoy your colum.

    Virginia

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