Roast your own peppers
All summer, I’ve been struggling with what to do with my CSA peppers. This week, I was merrily prepping roasted turnips, onions, garlic and potatoes to go with the poussin (which looked eerily like a headless lady) when I nearly kicked myself. Of course. I will roast them.
Like all my favorite recipes, roasting peppers turned out to be dead easy. You throw them in the oven at 500, and in 40 minutes, they go from this:
to this:
Peeling them is slightly more difficult than peeling peaches, but since it’s essentially the only work you have to do, it’s ok. They flatten out really easily once they’re cool enough to handle, and then you just pull the skin off with your fingers. If you were one of those kids who enjoyed peeling glue off your hands, you may even find this kind of fun, in that “how big a piece can I pull off at once?” kind of way.
Then you plop them in a bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, a garlic clove, and some salt and pepper, and stick it in the fridge overnight. The next day, drain them, and eat! Or stick them in a jar with olive oil to cover, put it in the fridge and eat over the next few weeks.
Roasted Peppers
- bell peppers (4 will fill a pint jar)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 500. Place peppers in a baking dish (they will release some liquid while roasting.) Roast for 40 minutes, until well blackened and losing their shape.
Cool for 40-60 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Discard stems and seeds, and peel off the skin.
Place in a bowl with all other ingredients. For once in my life, I will say, don’t add too much salt. You want to taste the sweetness of the peppers. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours before serving.
If you want to store them for later, drain the oil and vinegar. Then, put them in a jar, topped off with fresh olive oil. Poke with a chopstick to let out all the air pockets, and store in the fridge.
