Roasted Red Peppers
From The Kitchen · a prep-ahead staple
This is one of those humble Italian dishes that tastes like far more than its handful of ingredients. Charred until sweet and smoky, slipped out of their skins, and left to sit in good olive oil and garlic, peppers become an antipasto, a side, a sandwich filling, a little luxury.
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers (or a mix of red and yellow)
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt & black pepper
- A few fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F (or use the broiler) and set the whole peppers on a lined sheet.
- Roast, turning every 10 minutes or so, until the skins are blackened and blistered all over — about 25 to 35 minutes.
- Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover tightly, or seal them in a paper bag, and let them steam 15 to 20 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, slip off the charred skins and pull out the stems and seeds. Do not rinse them — that washes away the smoky flavor.
- Tear the peppers into wide strips and layer them in a dish.
- Scatter the fresh sliced garlic over, drizzle generously with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add torn basil if you like.
- Let them sit at least 20 minutes (better, an hour) before serving, so the garlic and oil soak in.
Storage: Keep in the refrigerator, covered in their oil, up to 5 days — they only deepen as they sit.
Gina's tip
Don't rinse the peeled peppers — that char and those smoky juices are the whole point. Let a little of their liquid pool in the dish with the oil; it's the best part for dipping bread.
Make these on a Sunday and they earn their keep all week — folded into sandwiches, tossed with pasta, layered on an antipasto board, or stirred into a bowl.
I hope this recipe finds a place in your kitchen as it has in mine. Enjoy!
— Gina