Roasted Marinated Red and Yellow Peppers
These roasted and marinated peppers are a wonderful recipe to make over the warmer, summer months. Serve these peppers with bruschetta or as part of an antipasti board.
Introduction
Everybody has their own way of roasting or grilling whole peppers to remove the skin. We roast them for a long time to blacken the skins, concentrate the sweetness and improve the flavour. The most effective way to do this is to place the peppers in a dry roasting tin and roast for 30–40 minutes in a medium oven until they collapse and blister.
Choosing ripe peppers for this recipe is important, as when they are still green they are watery in consistency and flavour. So look for the big Italian peppers that are deep yellow or red all over; no green. The thinner-fleshed, irregular-shaped peppers have the best flavour, as they have been grown and ripened in the sun.
Ingredients
| 2 | red peppers – choose ripe, deep red ones and avoid those with green patches |
| 2 | yellow peppers – choose ripe, deep yellow ones |
| 2 | garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced |
| a small bunch | of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, stalks removed |
| 3 tbsp | white wine vinegar |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| extra virgin olive oil |
Method
Preheat the oven to 240°C.
Wash and dry the peppers, place them in a metal oven tray, and roast in the oven until they blacken and blister. This should take about 20 minutes. Turn the peppers over and roast the underside. Alternatively you can use a chargrill, grill or griddle pan. If using a grill, place the peppers on it and cook, turning them over, until black all over. Do not worry about overcooking them, as they should be very soft for this recipe.
Once roasted, put the peppers in a plastic bag, or a bowl covered with clingfilm, to cool. Place the garlic on a board with the parsley and chop as finely as you can. When the peppers are cool, slip off the skins, open them up to remove the seeds and membrane, and shred them into finger-size pieces. Put into a bowl, pour over the vinegar, and mix in the garlic and parsley. Stir to combine all the flavours. Serve with marinated sardines and slices of bruschetta.
