“These slow-cooked peppers are so intensely sweet, I guarantee they’ll stop you in your tracks,” says Georgina Hayden, author of new plant-based cookbook, Nistisima.

“You’ll often find different proteins cooked amongst the peppers – pork being a popular choice, chicken and eggs too – but during times of fasting they are cooked straight up. And to be honest, you don’t miss the meat at all.”

Slow-cooked peppers recipe

Ingredients:(Serves 4)

4 onions4 garlic cloves10 peppers, a mixture of red, yellow and orange ones5 ripe tomatoes100ml sunflower oilSea salt and freshly ground black pepperA few flat-leaf parsley sprigs, optional

Method:

1. Peel and finely slice the onions and garlic. Halve the peppers, remove and discard the core and seeds, and cut into even sized pieces, around 2-3cm. Score a cross in the top of the tomatoes, place in a heatproof bowl (or pan) and cover with boiling water. Leave for a minute or two, until the skin starts to come away from the flesh, and drain. Peel the tomatoes and then roughly slice or chop the flesh.

2. Place a wide flameproof casserole on a medium heat, drizzle in the sunflower oil and add all the ingredients (not the parsley). Season generously, with a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and start to fry. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low and fry for around one-and-a-half to two hours. Stir occasionally, until you have a thick, rich and meltingly soft stew. Taste and tweak the seasoning as necessary, then serve, scattered with chopped parsley if you like.

Nistisima: The Secret To Delicious Vegan Cooking From The Mediterranean And Beyond by Georgina Hayden is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26. Photography by Kristin Perers. Available March 31.