A Sweet Goodbye to Pepper and Tomato Season

Stewed into a weeknight chicken dish, these vegetables become jammy, rich and so silky.

The cool nights and crisp days of fall may have reached the Northeast, but that hasn’t lessened the flow of tomatoes and sweet bell peppers at my local farmers’ market, piled up in red and gold profusion.

Unlike their peak-summer counterparts, these autumnal specimens can be soft and a bit wrinkly at the edges. While no longer ideal for tossing raw in salads and slaws, they’re still full of flavor and perfectly suited to long, slow simmering into stews, soups and silky sauces.

When cooked until their flesh practically melts, bell peppers and tomatoes become velvety and rich, condensing and sweetening as their juices thicken and bubble away.