Some things are just better when you make them yourselves. Homemade roasted peppers are so simple to make and taste so much better than most of what you’ll find at the store. I’ll never preach to you how you should make your own ketchup or mustard, but these really are fantastic. They don’t take too long to make, burning them is actually the point, and the longer they sit in the fridge the better they taste.
Charring the outside of the peppers allows the skin to come off while also cooking the pepper. I put all three on my stove top to cook at the same time and turn them with tongs. Be careful of the stems, they may catch on fire. You can trim them closer to the pepper before you roast them to prevent that. When you place them in the bag it steams off the skin so you can remove it more easily. The rest is just seasoning. Use more or less garlic to your liking, add herbs, customize it however you’d like.
These are amazing on practically anything. Put them in a sandwich or on a burger. Toss them in a salad or with pasta. Add them to an antipasti platter. My favorite way to eat them is on veggie burgers with a swipe of pesto and fresh mozzarella.
roasted red peppers
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ingredients:
3 red bell peppers
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
directions:
Place each bell pepper on the burner of your gas stove or under the broiler in your oven. If using the oven, place the peppers on a rack over a cookie sheet so that clean up is easier. Keep a close watch on the peppers as they roast. You want them blackened all over but you have to be careful as the stems dry out and start to smolder. Once all the sides are blackened evenly, place them in a paper bag with the top folded down or a closed plastic container. You want to trap the steam in with the peppers so that the charred skin is easier to remove. After 5-10 minutes take the peppers out of their container carefully and let them cool enough that you can handle them. Using your fingers to rub off the skin, remove any charred parts, seeds and the stem. Slice the flesh of the pepper and place them in a jar or plastic container with the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and refrigerate for at least one day before consuming on almost anything.
Holding the pepper in a paper towel and using the paper to rub the skin off makes the job less messy.