My city is burned to a crisp. Droopy droopy plants, saggy, browning, crisping around the edges. It was 45C today. Around 115F. Some places measured 47C. By anyone’s measure, that is hot. And tomorrow will be the same.
I went for a walk tonight. 8:30pm. I swear it was still 40C. There was no-one around in this well populated part of town. No one on the sports fields. No one playing tennis. No one on the cricket pitch or the soccer field. No one on the jogging track. No one doing yoga in the park.
No one in The Store, the cafe that is usually buzzing till 10pm. Even the pub was 3/4 empty. Go figure. Train lines buckled in the heat. It sure is a sustained heat wave. Who invented air conditioning? Thank You, whoever you are, mate.
The other day it was Australia Day – on the 26th. Same day as India Republic Day and the beginning of Chinese New Year celebrations. Happy Happy day to everyone (belatedly). Here it was time for picnics, the beach and going to the movies. The cricket was on at the Adelaide Oval just down the road from me. Yay, I felt like it was truly summer. (Then the heat really hit.)
To eat on the day I made some Red Peppers in Oil. Then I went to the beach. Enjoy!
Peperoni in Padella (Peppers in Oil)
Source : inspired by River Cafe Cookbook 2
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 35 mins
Serves: 4 – 6 people, depending how you use it
ingredients
8 large ripe bright red peppers
4 Tblspn Olive Oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 – 3 Tblspn herb wine vinegar or excellent quality red or white wine vinegar
method
Wash and dry the peppers. Cut them into halves and remove all seeds and the white membrane on the inside of the peppers. Cut in halves again.
Using a large frying pan or low-sided large saucepan with a lit, heat half the olive oil and place some pepper pieces in one layer. Cook over a medium to high heat with the lid on, turning the pieces as they begin to colour and become soft. Remove when cooked with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
Repeat with a second layer of peppers and continue until you have cooked them all. Use extra oil if it is needed.
Drain off the oil and keep in the fridge for use in salads and other dishes to add a nice red pepper flavour.
Return all of the peppers to the pan, reheat together and season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the peppers with the vinegar.
Eat hot or cold. I think they make a perfect addition to the Cucumber Salad with Poppy Seeds, with some red lentil and carrot patties.
Happy Australia Day!
More Cooking, Food and Recipes:
And to you! I am so jealous. It’s cold, grey, rainy and windy here in London.
Freezing in Europe, boiling in Australia! We need to moderate this some how…
Wow, I wonder how 40 degree celcius would feel like, it’s below zero here in Basel, Switzerland. I have an excolleague moved to Adelaide and said she keeps sweating at 44 degree. Best to go to the beach to enjoy the breeze and water. I have always wanted to make peppers in oil as my Turkish friend made me one with eggplants as well for my birthday party but I never get round to try it. You remind me to try it one day.
Hi Janet, yes when I worked in France and it was -9C and Adelaide was over 40C, I found it really hard to remember what high heat felt like! Its a strange thing.
Eek! I am on the other hand not jealous. I have a friend in Melbourne who’s also boiling, and at 38C in Manila (though with 100% humidity), I don’t feel like moving a muscle!
My God! That’s like being in an oven.
Any temperature that could do that to the the railway lines…………..
I’m lucky to be enjoying cool misty mornings and pleasant sunny days.
I thought that only the desert got this hot in January. Even my summers don’t get this bad, though it can be pretty hot in some parts of India.
And you actually found the energy to cook up something. Looks delicious.
Its hot enough to cook a slow roasted chilli pot in the sun, I swear. The hot weather continues…
I like how you moodily tease us with that last photograph.
You should have made a sorbet instead!
You are so right! I will get to it before the next heatwave hits. Today is our first day below 35C for over 2 weeks (8 Jan).
Living in a hot climate is why much of my cooking ends up on the stove top instead of in the heat-generating oven. Your blog is beautiful – I could look and read about the food all day.
Thanks, Devorah. I appreciate your comment. Yes, I am primarily a stove top cook as well.
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