My cousin was enthusing about a capsicum bruschetta she’d made, involving sultanas and anchovies. I was intrigued by the sweet alongside the salty, so I experimented with capers – and this is the finger lickin’ result. Slick, oily, and savoury, yet also sweet and juicy – with only a handful of ingredients, each element gets a chance to shine.
Traditional bruschetta often involves goat’s cheese, so I’ve swapped it for vegan cream cheese. Feel free to try any cashew cheese, hummus, or simply pile the capsicum mixture onto plain toast. Delicious either way!
Or, if you’re keen to experiment, ditch the toast idea and try these other uses: pile the capsicum mixture into a salad. Stir it through pasta. Try it as a pizza topping. Add it to a simple bowl of steamed veges for extra texture & flavour.
For the fresh herbs, use what you have – basil, coriander, parsley… I even threw some mint and lemon balm into one batch.
For the capsicum mixture:
3 Tbsp (olive) oil
3 large capsicums
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp sugar (I use coconut)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp sultanas
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp fresh herbs, chopped
To serve:
Toast of choice
Vegan cream cheese or hummus
Prep the capsicum by removing the stem, seeds and any thick white pithy ribs. Slice lengthwise into 1 cm thick slices. Do the same with the onion – halve it, peel it, and cut it into long thick slices.
Heat the oil in a large frypan on a medium low heat and add the onion and capsicum. Cook for 20 mins or so, stirring regularly. Don’t crank up the heat too high – going low and slow gives the onion time to deepen and sweeten its flavour, while the capsicums go satisfyingly soft. A little browning and colouring is good.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the fresh herbs, and season to taste (I use about 1 tsp salt plus a couple of good grinds of pepper) Cook for a further 3-5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool a little. To serve: stir through the herbs and transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Enjoy piling it on top of crunchy toast smothered in cream cheese.
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