Roasting Peppers

A few weeks ago, a friend and I got together to start a monthly cooking class. Her theme for the class was “Cooking in Season”. Our menu consisted of “Fruit Skewers”, “Greek Steak Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette“, and “Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake“. One of the ingredients for the Steak Salad was Roasted Red Pepper. We both agreed we disliked the taste and texture of the bottled roasted red peppers; therefore, we omitted it. The salad turned out great, but it was definitely missing the red peppers. Another recipe I absolutely love that calls for roasted peppers, is Mexican Caesar Salad with Cilantro Pepitas Dressing.

Roasting peppers can be done several ways; on the grill, the oven and on a gas stove.

Gas Stove
Wash the peppers. Use cooking tongs to place the pepper on the burner of a gas stove. Roast over medium to high heat, turning until all sides are charred.

Oven
Coat peppers lightly in olive oil. Place under the broiler for five to ten minutes until the skins is blistered

To Peel
Seal the peppers in a plastic baggie, bowl or a pot with a lid. The steam will help loosen the skin. After ten minutes, take the peppers out and carefully peel or scrap off the skin. It is ok if you do not get all the skin off. It will add a little flavor to your dish.

***when roasting hot chili peppers use caution and always wear gloves.