Roasting Peppers

Many of you already know how to do this but everybody ought to learn. Grab some metal tongs. Turn on a gas burner on your stove’s range. Now take those peppers and burn them all over. Really burn them. Don’t be a sissy. Char every square millimeter if you can. Now, plunge them into cold water and rub the skin off. The more thoroughly burnt the easier to peel. Now you have roasted peppers. Eat them however you like: they’re tasty.

Another method to roast peppers

Lay the peppers in a broiler pan, and broil until their skins blister (2-3 minutes). With a tong or long fork, slightly rotate them and continue turning until the peppers are completely charred, then pop them into a paper bag. Close the bag and the let the peppers sit in it for 15-20 minutes: the charred skin steams loose from the flesh. Then, holding each pepper over a bowl, slit down one side, open it up, and discard the seeds, ribs and stem. Cut the pepper into 2-3 pieces, and peel off the loosened skin with a paring knife. The bowl collects the pepper juices, which can be used to store the peeled peppers up to 2 days, if you wish. Or, drain the skinned and seeded peppers on a rack. If you have a gas stove, you could also char the peppers over the flame, or you can use an open grill.

Marinated Roasted Peppers

Serves anywhere from 2 to 20, depending on how many you make and how you use them

Bell peppers—red, yellow, orange, green
1 clove garlic, slivered
Olive oil
Vinegar of your choice [balsamic is a good one]
Fresh herb of your choice [basil is partcularily good, but thyme, oregano, and parsley also work beautifully]
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Turn on the broiler.

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Cut peppers in half and remove core, seeds, and membrane. Place peppers cut side down on the prepared pan and place as close to the fire as possible. Let them broil 5-10 minutes, until the skins are blistered and blackened—you may have to move them around a bit to expose all the sides. Remove from the broiler and put in a bowl; cover tightly with saran wrap or aluminum foil—the idea is to steam off the skins.

When they’re cool enough to handle, peel them one at a time over a bowl that has an air-tight lid—do it over the bowl to catch any juices. Slice the peeled halves and add them to the bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to several days..

These are great tossed into a salad, Chopped fine and stirred into drained ricotta cheese, for a dip (or a filling for lasagna or homemade ravioli), atop pizza, added to simple pasta, or your favorite sandwich.