Confiting (the process of cooking meat slowly in its own fat) is a wonderful technique that both preserves food and makes it ultratender. José Andrés explains, "In Spain, we typically confit in olive oil rather than in duck or goose fat, as the French do." Here, in a riff on the traditional preparation, he confits piquillo peppers to serve as a tapa or an accompaniment to meat. The key is cooking the peppers slowly over low heat, being very careful not to scald the oil. Chef Holiday Recipes Made Easy More Condiments Recipes
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 300°. Put one-fourth of the drained peppers in a food processor and puree. Season with salt.
In a large, shallow baking dish, arrange half of the remaining whole peppers in a single layer. Season with salt and scatter with the garlic. Top with half of the pepper puree and the remaining whole peppers. Season with salt. Spread the remaining pepper puree in an even layer and season again with salt. Pour the olive oil over the peppers and cover with foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Let stand, covered, until warm.
Make Ahead
Serve With
Toasted bread.