Jammy Pepps with Feta & Basil by Molly Baz

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Prep the veg:

2. Remove the cores of 3 ½ pounds of bell peppers by cutting off 4 lobes on each, leaving behind the cores, stems, and seeds. Cut each lobe into roughly 1 ½-inch-thick strips. Never de-lobed a pepp before? Right this way.
3. Thinly slice 1 Fresno chile crosswise.
4. Firmly smash and peel 8 garlic cloves.

Cook the peppers:

5. Heat ½ cup olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.¹
6. Add the bell peppers, Fresno chile, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar and stir and toss with tongs to combine. Cook until some of the peppers begin to soften a bit and turn golden brown in a few spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup red wine vinegar.
7. Partially cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook, stirring the peppers a couple of times throughout to move things around and encourage even cooking, until the peppers are very soft and jammy, 45 to 60 minutes.
8. Remove the lid and cook until the peppers have caramelized in some spots and the liquid has reduced slightly, 30 to 45 minutes longer. Let cool slightly, then taste and add more vinegar, salt, or sugar as needed until the peppers taste outrageously good.

Serve:

9. Slice the feta into ¼-inch-thick planks.
10. Spoon the peppers onto a rimmed serving platter along with some of those juices. Break the planks of feta into pieces and scatter them over top. Tear ½ cup basil leaves and scatter over top.