Freshly Charred Peppers
I absolutely love roasted peppers with a great Italian dinner. There is nothing quite like them on perfect Italian bread. A few months back I promised to write about food my dad loved after he passed away and I plan on keeping that promise. Roasted peppers fall into that category.
Last month we had a big dinner to thank some of my dad’s closest friends for everything they did to help my sister and me get through the toughest weeks of our lives. We had a big Italian feast which started with antipasto. I made roasted peppers to go with The Conshohocken Italian Bakery bread our dear friends and owners of the bakery brought to compliment the meal.
If you have never made homemade roasted peppers, you may be surprised by the method and how unbelievably easy they are to make. You do need a gas stove to make them perfectly, but otherwise, it is pretty simple. I use red and yellow peppers because they make the nicest looking presentation and the colors contrast nicely.
The first thing you do is place each pepper in the center of a burner directly over the heat source. Then, turn the flame on to a medium setting.
Pepper over Flame
Let the skin cook until it roasts and blisters, then turn. It is almost impossible to overcook. The skin should actually crack.
Another Angle of Pepper Cooking
As you can see in the photo above, the center of the side that is showing is under cooked. It is important to continue to maneuver the pepper over the flames so all sides cook evenly.
Peppers Cooling
When peppers are cooked evenly on all sides, remove from heat. Cool completely. Once cool, cut peppers in half. Remove seeds and peel skins off of peppers. Rinse peppers and cut into strips. Toss peppers in extra virgin olive oil and season with fresh ground pepper and a little kosher salt.
Roasted Peppers
Serve with Crusty Italian Bread and butter and/or Olive Oil and Aged Balsamic Vinegar