Bell peppers are so wonderful fresh. But just like so many things, they are possibly even tastier when they’ve been roasted. All of the juices and sugars caramelize and make for a perfect addition to pretty much any dish you would otherwise put peppers into.
Things you can add Roasted Peppers to:
- Hummus. Blend a few peppers in your hummus recipes with a pinch of hungarian paprika.
- Ravioli. If you love making fresh ravioli, try chopping up some roasted peppers and mixing them with goat cheese for a tasty filling.
- Lasagna. I love adding roasted peppers to my lasagnas, sometimes as they’re own layer.
- Pasta Sauces. Chopped up and stirred into pasta sauces, roasted peppers are a great way to add a little depth of flavour. (Check out my favourite roasted pepper pasta sauce here!)
Roasting them is also a fantastic way to store them, if you aren’t fortunate enough to have access to fresh ones year round. A preserved jar of peppers will keep in your fridge for about a year, and doesn’t involve any canning equipment.
I’ve spoken to a few people recently who don’t know how to roast pepper properly or find it difficult. So I thought I’d give you a little tutorial. I’ll divide it into two parts, one for simply roasting the peppers, and another for preserving them.
How-to
You will need for Roasting:
- 8 Bell Peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper
- A large glass or steel bowl
- Plastic wrap
You will need for Preserving:
- 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- 2x500ml Mason Jars, Cleaned and Dried
Roasting:
Heat your oven to 450F. Cut your peppers in half, and remove the stalks and seeds. Rub them all over with olive oil, and sprinkle them with some salt and pepper on the inside.
Place them cut side down on a baking tray, and roast until the skins are charred and bubbling. This usually takes about 15-20minutes, but keep an eye on them.
Remove from the oven and quickly transfer them to your bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to sit for about 20 minutes. Steaming the peppers like this will allow the skins to loosen, making them much easier to remove.
Gently peel away the skins and discard (but keep the juices from this bowl). At this point you could go ahead and use the them for anything you like.
If you are preserving the them for future use, then Read On!
Preserving:
Pour your cider vinegar into a bowl. Dredge each peeled pepper half thoroughly in the vinegar, then transfer to a new bowl.
Once they are all dredged with vinegar, sprinkle them quite generously with the kosher salt. Mix them up well. Sprinkle a little bit of salt into your reserved pepper juices and stir to dissolve.
Pour a tiny bit of your vinegar into the bottom of each mason jar. Just enough to cover the bottom of the jar. Stuff the jars with peppers up to about an inch and a quarter from the top of the jar. Pour in a bit of your pepper juice. Poke out any air bubbles with a butter knife, then top each jar with olive oil.
These will keep in a fridge for about a year, making this a perfect way to store your summer peppers to enjoy all winter long. Yum!
LizaLeigh
