Roasted Red Peppers Tutorial

Roasted Sweet Red Peppers

Truth be told, I don't like Peppers. But, when Red Peppers are roasted, I like them completely. I love them if you must know. That's where it ends though. I think that Green Peppers (which, by the way, are actually un-ripe red peppers) are awful and there is not a dish that they can be picked out of without their flavor remaining behind.

However, if I can further caramelize Red Peppers after I have roasted a couple, by adding a little sugar and pan-searing them, I am in heaven. I also enjoy adding some sugar and red wine vinegar to a batch of strips and letting them soak in the fridge for a few days...at which point they are ready for some wonderful paninis.

To roast peppers, it helps greatly to have a Gas-burning stove. You can also do it on a BBQ. It just is most effective when you have an open flame to burn the skin. If neither of these means are available, then you can put them under the broiler and let the skins burn that way. Either method requires a watchful eye, and you should not be trying to multi-task other meal preparations while you are roasting them.

I like to do several peppers at a time, and process them all to strips. I will then use some within the day, and freeze or refrigerate the remainder.

I found a metal cooling/baking rack at my local thrift store that I use to cook my peppers on over my gas range. That way I have a place to rest them, and I simply turn them with tongs to a new side as they blacken. I only use that rack for this process and I expect I will have to replace it at sometime because it will likely burn through eventually.

Once the peppers have the entire surface burned, move them to a large piece of foil.

Wrap the foil around the peppers, allowing some room to steam, but close the opening tightly. Allow to steam for at least 30 minutes. Under running water, strip all the charred skin off the surface. I also open up the peppers while under the running water, and allow the seeds to run off.

Once cleaned, I cut out the inside tough membranes, and cut into long strips.

Process or store the strips as desired.