There’s something very seductive about a caramelized onion-pepper-tomato mix it’s sweet and oily in that good way. Luckily, this peperonata is a secret nextover. You’ll have about 2 cups of it left over to use in a grain bowl, serve on crackers with a glass of wine, or stir into tomorrow’s scrambled eggs.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium sweet onion (such as Vidalia), coarsely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- 4 large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½- to ¾-inch squares
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 4 wedges for serving
- 1½ cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn if large
- 1½ pounds boneless pork cutlets, trimmed of excess fat and pounded to ⅓ inch thick
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups loosely packed arugula (about 4 ounces)
How to Make It
- In a large skillet or wide pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the bell peppers and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have released their juices, about 10 minutes, then add the lemon juice and cook until the vegetables are caramelized and tender, about 5 minutes more. Remove the peperonata from the heat. Stir in the basil leaves.
- While the peperonata cooks, season the pork cutlets on both sides using 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In another large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook the cutlets (in batches, if necessary) until golden on both sides and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Divide the arugula and cutlets among four plates. Top each cutlet with about ¼ cup peperonata. Drizzle the arugula with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then season with a little salt and pepper. Squeeze the lemon wedges over everything and serve.