How to Roast Peppers

Roasted peppers are a great way to bring out flavor and add unique flavors to many different dishes. Peppers, either sweet or hot, can be roasted in a variety of ways. Once they are roasted they can be added to salads, casseroles, sandwiches, and much more. Let's first look at two different ways to roast peppers.

Roasting
One way to roast peppers is to take a baking sheet, and using a pastry brush, coat your peppers with vegetable oil. It is important to note that you should not use Olive Oil for this technique because the Olive Oil has a high smoke point and therefore will not help the peppers in the roasting process. Be sure, as you are brushing the vegetable oil on, that you get the oil into the folds and crevices of each pepper.

Place your pepper(s) on the baking sheet and put the baking sheet into the oven at the highest shelf level possible. Then, you are going to broil them under the broiler. Keep a careful eye on the peppers and as they start to brown and roast, you need to gently turn them using tongs (they are hot!) and roast again until all sides are browned/blackened.

Another technique for roasting is to do this on a grill. When you are ready, you'll prepare the peppers the same way as above by brushing them with vegetable oil. Then, you grill them and turn them as they are done so as not to burn them. Don't be afraid to turn the grill down. A medium to low heat will help you to roast or grill the peppers slowly so as not to burn them.

Preparation
Once your peppers are roasted, allow them to cool for about 20 minutes. When you can easily handle them, pull the stems out of the peppers. The stems should come out very easily. Next, lay the peppers on a flat surface like a cutting board and hold down one end of the pepper. You will now peel the peppers noting that the skins should come off fairly easy.

Using your index finger and thumb, hold the pepper in one hand and squeeze the pepper downward using the other hand. This will force the seeds and pulp inside to slide out the bottom. It's like using the end of the toothpaste and getting every last drop. Slice open your peppers and check to see if any membrane or seed remains; you can gently use the knife to remove these. Your peppers are now ready to use.

Usage
Now you have roasted peppers to use in a variety of dishes. If you cook Mexican style foods, these peppers will really add texture and flavor to many of these dishes. You can also toss them into a fresh crisp salad, or blend them into a casserole or stew. Your possibilities are limitless; you are only limited by your imagination.

You can store these roasted peppers for up to a week in the refrigerator in a container. This cook's recommendation is that you only roast enough peppers to use in one day. Since they are so easy to roast, it's better to roast them and use them rather than keep them for any length of time. Happy roasting!

Author: Dawn Lewis