Roasted Red Peppers

April 7, 2008

A week or two ago I made roasted red pepper pesto for the second time. It is a delicious pasta sauce (and can probably be served with other foods) that turns out to be very easy to make. The first time I made it I used jarred roasted red peppers and the sauce was very good. I happened to have a couple red bell peppers on hand a few weeks ago so I endeavored to roast my own. The pesto recipe will come later this week, as I want my trial in roasting red peppers to have its own post.

You’ll need two red bell peppers, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.

To begin, cut off the top of the bell pepper, about 1/4 inch.

Do the same with the bottom (shown in the picture, it took me two slices to get an open bottom on the pepper).

Next, pull out the seedy core and remove the green stem from the top. Just reach in and rip out the big seedy thing in the middle – it will pop out easily.

Now that you have a hollow pepper, open it up by making one vertical cut down the side. Lay it flat.

Lay your knife flat at the end of your pepper, and move it horizontally along the pepper, removing the ribs. A sharp knife helps for this.

Your pepper is now prepared for roasting. Just lay the long flat piece, the top and bottom (excluding the green stem and ribs) on a tin foil lined baking sheet and prepare the second pepper.

The recipe I followed called for roasting them under the broiler. For new cooks who have never used a broiler (like myself until this recipe), it is like a reverse grill in your own oven. It provides heat from one direction (the top) at a very high temperature. The technique that follows may work for some, but it caused me some trouble. I’ll give my amended recipe at the end.

Move a rack to the highest spot possible and preheat the broiler for five minutes. If you have an electric oven like mine that offers low and high settings for the broiler, use low. I originally set it on high, put my peppers in, and in about a minute the skin was charred (which didn’t ruin them) and smoke was leaking from the oven. High is way too hot.

Your goal is to get the peppers firm but with charred skins, which, according to the recipe, takes about 9 minutes. I let the oven cool off a little, adjusted the broiler to low, and put the peppers back in. Things went more smoothly, but after about 5 minutes the skin was charring anew, still well short of the suggested 9 minutes. Following the advice of my mom, I put the peppers on a middle rack, turned off the broiler, and turned on the oven. I let them cook for a few more minutes before removing them and continuing with the recipe.

When your peppers are down roasting, whichever method you use, put them in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow them to steam while they cool, which will make peeling them much easier.

When they are ready, remove the peppers, peel the skin and chop to your desired size. If you just want to eat them, toss with salt and olive oil.

Preferences and Tips:

• Don’t put the broiler on high!
• Be careful with an electric broiler which just cycles the heat on and off to achieve the correct temperature. It could char the skin without cooking the peppers.
• If you want to bake the peppers, set the oven to 450 degrees and bake on a foil lined baking sheet. I haven’t tried this second recipe, but it recommends roasting the peppers whole, which could take up to an hour at 450 degrees. Personally, I think it is easier to prepare the peppers and cut them up before you cook them. I need to experiment more here to find the right combination, but consider baking at 450 degrees.

Printable Recipe:

Equipment:

• Cutting board
• Knife
• Baking sheet
• Aluminum foil

Ingredients:

• Two red bell peppers
• Salt
• Olive oil

Recipe:

1. Cut off the top and bottom of the pepper – about 1/4 inch.
2. Remove the seedy core and green stem.
3. Cut down one side of the hollow pepper and lay flat, skin side down.
4. Move your knife horizontally along the inside of the flat pepper, cutting out the white ribs.
5. Place the pepper pieces (excluding the green stem and core) on a foil lined baking sheet, skin up.
6. Broil or bake at 450 degrees. The skin should char and the peppers become a little bit tender, but stay somewhat firm. I am not sure exactly what works the best here. Use your own judgment.
7. Put roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cool.
8. Peel the peppers, chop, and toss with olive oil and salt.

Also, check out Passionate about Baking for more recipes for bell peppers.

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