what’s cooking wednesday: roasted peppers with garlic & olive oil
Just those words have your mouth watering, don’t they?
Well not if you don’t like peppers, but if you’re like me and could eat any kind of pepper–sweet, hot, red, yellow, green–at just about any given time, you probably love roasted peppers as well.
And there’s no reason why you can’t have them made at home whenever you want (provided that you can get peppers). My favorite are roasted red peppers because they’re oh-so-sweet, but you can use any kind you like.
There are a few different ways to prepare them, but to me, grilling them is best. We do ours over smoldering coals:
But if you use your broiler, the peppers are still going to be delicious. Check out this great tutorial from AllRecipes.com on how to roast peppers in the oven.
Yes these get a little messy (I’m spoiled in that P actually enjoys all the dirty work here), but they are so worth the effort–you’ll never buy pre-prepared roasted peppers again after you taste them homemade.
Perhaps some of you are already wondering what to do with roasted peppers. A simple Google search led me to this page from Prevention’s The Healthy Cook: The Ultimate Illustrated Kitchen Guide to Great Low-Fat Food.
Some of The Healthy Cook‘s suggestions are pepper and cheese canapés, pepper fritters, peppers and shrimp salad, antipasto, and peppers parmigiana. They all sound fabulous, as does this book in general now that I’m looking at it more closely. . . .
Some more ideas? Add them to sandwiches, salads, dips (great in hummus!), tomato sauce, or as a topping on pizza.
This is what we usually do with our roasted peppers: we like to dress them up with olive oil, garlic, and a touch of salt and then eat them with fresh, warm bread–even on toasted bread for a nice bruschetta with peppers.
Remember how great that bruschetta with tomatoes was? This is a great winter variation.
So without further ado, this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday:
Roasted Peppers with Garlic & Olive Oil
- Peppers–as many as you like, of the variety you prefer
- Enough good olive oil to cover them
- Clove of garlic, chopped (depends on your taste how much you want to add–do experiment!)
- Salt to taste
Wash and dry the peppers and then place them on the grill whole and intact.
In preparing the peppers, the most important thing to remember is to turn them so that all sides are blackened. Trust me, you want the sides BLACK as this makes peeling them a lot easier.
Here are the remnants of our last batch (with an unroasted pepper):
Once you take them off the grill and have given them a chance to cool off a bit, pull out the stems. Now peel the skin. P uses a small knife, but he uses a knife for everything (he *is* a southern Italian man). You can also do this with your bare hands of course.
Be sure to remove all the seeds, which you can do by squeezing the pepper from top to bottom between your index finger and thumb.
If there are any of the membranes left inside, scrape those out too.
Now you’re ready to do whatever you like with them. For the preparation shown above, slice and place in bowl and then cover with olive oil. Add as much chopped garlic and salt as you like and let them marinate at least an hour before eating.
I know it’s hard to wait, but you’ll thank yourself later.
Buon appetito!
**If you haven’t yet, remember to check out my welcome post and find out about how you can win a $30 Amazon.com gift certificate!**
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[tags]roasted peppers, roasted red peppers, peppers, cooking, what’s cooking wednesday[/tags]
17 Beans of Wisdom to “what’s cooking wednesday: roasted peppers with garlic & olive oil”
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! And yes, my mouth is watering. Also, have you ever tried piperade? I believe it’s Turkish and it’s sooooooo good! It’s similar to this, but the peppers are stuffed with a salty cheese, similar to feta, that gets a bit melted during preparation.
jen of a2eatwrite’s last blog post..What’s Cooking Wednesday: Revised Turkey Tetrazzini
Jen, I haven’t tried piperade, but I’m intrigued…thanks for the suggestion!
I am a big fan of roast peppers. Yum!
nyc/caribbean ragazza’s last blog post..I thought his jumping on Oprah’s couch was bizarre.
Aren’t they just the best? I have to admit I’m also intrigued by the title of your latest post….
I love roasted peppers–solo and with a little pita. Its something this Greek girl has anjoyed since childhood. But thanks for the reminder. I’m having a dinner party tomrrow, my first in Germany, and I was looking for suggestions. This will be on the menu. Yey!
Diane Mandy’s last blog post..Easy rider
Diane, glad to remind you–your guest will be glad too I’m sure!
Spicy!!!
When are you going to open up a little cafe ristorante?
;o)
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
Wanderlust Scarlett’s last blog post..Taking Care
Hmm….
I’m guessing a pepper is what we call a capsicum back home?
And not a hot chili pepper? Humour the strange Australian! 😀
alyndabear’s last blog post..On Bagels and Broken Bits.
Ah geez, here we are separated by a common language again! From what Wikipedia tells me, “capiscum” is Australian and Indian English and the rest of us English speakers use a variety of terms for these vegetables. Makes life interesting–especially for someone like you who’s now in a *new* English-speaking country, eh? Thanks for the knowledge 🙂
I use roasted red peppers to make romesco sauce with fresh (in season) or canned (in winter) tomatoes, toasted almonds, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and roasted garlic, and then I dump it on . . . umm . . . everything. I put it on potatoes, roast fish in it, use it as a dip for grilled or roasted green veggies, and use it as an appetizer/canape topper with black olives. Mmm. It also freezes well.
Bipolarlawyercook’s last blog post..Navy bean and bacon soup
Goodness you’re making me hungry for this. At 8.30 a.m. Lucky for me I have some fabulous black olives in the fridge too….
Mouthwatering to say the least!!! I also prefer the red ones…but will try any.
I am going to look out for that book, might look on Amazon.co.uk.
Anne, I had never even heard of the book before but it definitely looks interesting. Check out that link to the page because you can browse through the book on Google (also on Amazon but I think there’s more available on Google).
We always have roasted peppers on hand. You can use them in so many dishes. But my favorite is eating them with just oil, garlic and some good Italian bread.
The Food Hunter’s last blog post..OOPS….
Definitely a great staple…and a great snack 🙂
This sounds SO good. I can’t wait to try it!
heather’s last blog post..The Wheels on the Bus
Oh that looks yummy!
Shan’s last blog post..what’s cooking wednesday – banana bread
Yummy but probably not going to pass the Abby test for vegetables; but I’m sure she’ll try it when she’s older 😉
Roasted peppers ROCK! My family always did this – blacken the outside, then prepare them like you do. To this day, it’s one of my favorite things to eat – just like you said, on a piece of nice Italian bread.
My father was the master of roasting peppers – he did them over open flame also.
Wow – I have a craving now!
Salena’s last blog post..Overshadowing Government
I hope you get near some roasted peppers soon! I think I’m going to have to go to the store and find some more. I’ll eat some for you, just in case.
My Father used to bring shopping bags of peppers home, when he found some he liked the looks of, for my Mother to roast. I seem to remember her roasting them in brown paper bags in the oven of the stove and then preparing them as you do. Somehow they always taste better when roasting fresh peppers out of the garden or from a farm.
I seem to remember something about paper bags from my youth too. My grandmother didn’t make these very often, though, so it’s not a clear memory. But I *do* remember my grandfather bringing them (and tomatoes and potatoes, etc.) home in bags from the farmers he’d pass on his way home on the weekends–he was a truck driver and passed through a lot of farmland. Also brought home *the best* milk…in plastic bags. YUM!
Yummy!! We love our grilled peppers!!
Fast and simple way is on the stove top using a cast irom grill…
Here is a little shot of how we cook them…
Peperoni e Melanzane
It’s been awhile, thanks for the idea!
Jill’s last blog post..Shooting Range
Jill, yup, that’ll work too…always tasty aren’t they? Thank *you* for stopping by!
Yum, yum, yum! I roast peppers all the time on the grill… then add oil & garlic to them with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Simply divine.
Mmmm balsamic vinegar! YUM!!!!
That looks REALLY good!
This is my first visit to your blog… but I’ll be back!
Gunfighter’s last blog post..You Pick The Topic (from Jodi)
Gunfighter, welcome and I hope to see you again soon!
Yes, thinking about roasted peppers with garlic and olive oil DOES get my mouth watering! I want to come for a visit! 🙂
Peppers are on the grill!
Gil & Michelle: The paper bag – You put the peppers in a closed paper bag to cool after roasting. Makes the skin come off easier – something about the steam. I’m betting P will appreciate that tip!!! If you don’t have a grill and don’t want to wait for the oven or just want to make one (WHAT?), you can “roast” them one at a time right on the open flame of your gas stove (the process isn’t so much about cooking the peppers as it is burning off the skin). Put the pepper right into the flame and keep turning until it all turns black, using tongs or even a fork to keep your fingers out of the flame, then put it in a paper bag to cool, and then peel – the skin will come right off. The best thing is to make a whole bunch, put them in a jar making sure the oil covers the peppers. They keep for quite a while this way in the fridge and then you have them to make all sorts of goodies. My favorite way: on fresh hot pizza bianca……..YUM!
Yes we put our in a little jar too–they do last quite a while and are *so* nice to have handy 🙂