This pepper, tomato, and pancetta roast will melt in your mouth. It can be served piled onto crusty bread, tossed through pasta, or simply scooped up as it is.  photo: Nancy Duran

This is the time of year when you don’t have to do much to your produce to bring out its great taste. Mother nature has got the flavor angle completely covered. Two of the vegetables that are at the top of their game right now are bell peppers and tomatoes. Most of the time, serving them simply sliced into a salad is all the work you’ve got to do in the kitchen. But when you’re looking for something just a bit sexier, and without a lot of extra prep, the “bang ’em in a pan and roast them with pork” option is always a good one to turn to. This one pan delight is sweet, tangy, and meltingly delicious whether you serve it on bread, in pasta, or over grilled meat.

2 red, yellow, or orange (or a mixture) bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 pound cherry tomatoes
5 ounces chopped pancetta
4 garlic cloves, 1 finely chopped and 3 thickly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Crusty Italian bread or pasta, for serving
Small fresh basil leaves, for scattering

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a large roasting pan, combine the peppers, tomatoes, pancetta, and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Be careful not to over salt as the pancetta is salty. Stir to coat and combine. Cook 40 minutes, until tomatoes are collapsing, peppers are tender, and pancetta has rendered most of its fat.
3. Remove from the oven and stir in olives, capers, and vinegar. Scatter over basil leaves just before serving. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Nutritional analysis based on 4 servings: (does not include salt and pepper, basil, bread or pasta)
Calories 237, Fat 18g, Sodium 508 mg, Carbohydrates 14g, Fiber 3g, Sugar 4g, Protein 6g