VEGAN PIPERADE

Piperade is a Basque dish very similar to lecho. The original recipe includes an egg or meat.  I serve piperada in a large frying pan, because it is worth presenting it in its entirety. Go ahead and cook it outdoors, at a campsite or anywhere. It is easy and colourful meal.

Ingredients:

(for two)

• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 1/2 cup canned tomatoes
• 10 black olives
• 1/4 teaspoon of thyme
• bay leaf
• a pinch of chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• a pinch of pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• olive oil

• 150 g of natural tofu
• 1/4 teaspoon of kala namak salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• parsley

Instructions:

1. Pour the olive oil into a  frying pan and fry gently onion and garlic.
2. Add thyme, bay leaf, chili, smoked pepper, salt and pepper. Mix.
3. Cut peppers and add to the pan.
4. Mix and cover with a lid. Stew for about 10 minutes.
5. Pour tomatoes, stir and stew (covered) for about 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a bowl,  crumble the tofu with a fork.
7. Add kala namak salt (it smells like an egg), curry and turmeric.
8. Stir and set aside.
9. Cut the parsley.
10. Cut the olives in half.
11. Add tofu to the stewed vegetables (put them in the middle).
12. Put the olives around.
13. Stew for about 5 minutes. 
14. Sprinkle with parsley and serve it in the pan.