Vegetarian mains
Tomato and pepper summer pudding
Summer pudding is an English classic – and this savoury take makes a succulent, refreshing alternative to sugary berries. Serve this cold after putting it in the fridge overnight. Eat with a green salad and any other summery accompaniments you fancy – boiled eggs and olives are both good.
Ingredients
main
- 6-10 thin slices slightly stale white bread, crusts removed
- fresh herbs (parsley and basil) to decorate
for the filling
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2x400g tin tomatoes or 1kg fresh tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Cook the onions, garlic and peppers gently in the oil until tender.
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Step 2
Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until fairly thick. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove the thyme sprigs.
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Step 3
Line a 900ml-1.2 litre pudding basin with the bread, trimming so that it fits snugly with no gaps but no overlaps either.
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Step 4
Fill with the tomato and pepper mixture and cover with bread trimmed to fit.
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Step 5
Lay a plate or large saucer on top and weigh down with tins or metal weights. Leave overnight in the fridge.
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Step 6
Just before serving remove weight and plate, and cover the pudding with a shallow serving dish. Invert, give it a firm shake and the pudding should slip nicely out onto the plate. Decorate with fresh herbs.
