Ingredient
Spoon a generous portion of Sataraš onto a plate alongside a slice of crusty bread and you have one of the most satisfying, unfussy meals the Balkan kitchen has to offer. This slow-cooked pepper and tomato stew is a staple across Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia - a dish of pure simplicity that has fed generations of families throughout the summer harvest season when sweet peppers and ripe tomatoes are at their very best.
The process begins with patience. Diced onions go into a generous pool of olive oil over a gentle medium heat, coaxing them slowly towards a soft, golden translucency. There is no rushing this step - properly softened onions form the flavour foundation that holds everything together. Sweet peppers follow, cooking down for a good ten minutes until they relax and begin to meld with the onions beneath them.
Garlic, if you choose to use it, goes in next - just two minutes until fragrant - before the tomatoes arrive in a generous tumble. The pan is covered, the heat drops to its lowest setting, and from here Sataraš is largely left to its own devices for around 30 minutes. As the tomatoes break down and the excess liquid gradually evaporates, the stew thickens into something deeply savoury and wonderfully concentrated.
- Use the ripest tomatoes you can find - overripe is absolutely fine here and will give the richest flavour.
- Sweet peppers of any colour work beautifully, though red and yellow varieties add a pleasant natural sweetness.
- A pinch of Vegeta - the beloved Croatian seasoning blend - is entirely optional but adds a familiar, homely depth.
Sataraš is endlessly versatile. Serve it as a side dish, pile it onto polenta, or eat it straight from the pan with good bread. However you enjoy it, this is one of those recipes that tastes far greater than the sum of its parts.
