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Roasting and preparing red peppers for antipasto

ROASTING OF RED PEPPERS FOR ANTIPASTO

To roast peppers in the oven (this is my preferred method of roasting peppers), line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and have one or two strong plastic bags ready.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.  Arrange the peppers on the baking sheet on their sides and roast for 20 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 20 minutes or until the skins are charred and soft, and the peppers slightly collapsed.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and with tongs load the peppers into the plastic bags — not more than 4 in a bag — and tie a knot to make it airtight.  This will steam the peppers and will make the peeling of the skin much easier.  Leave to steam for about 15 minutes.

Slice the peppers vertically from top to bottom and open them up. Remove the stems from the top of the peppers and scrape the seeds and ribs from the inside.  Wipe the rest of the seeds off with paper towel. Flip the peppers over to reveal the skin side, then pull off the charred skin. If you want a more charred flavor, you can leave a few small blackened bits on the skin.

Do not seed and skin the pepper under running water because the pepper will loose some of its charred flavor in the process.

Once you’ve peeled and seeded your peppers, you’ll end up with soft, sweet, tasty pepper flesh.

To marinate the roasted peppers for use in Antipasto, you will need:
3 red peppers, roasted, peeled and deseeded
1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons/30 ml good quality extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
one or two sprinkles of dried oregano (optional)

  • After you have peeled the peppers, tear the peppers into strips, and place in a bowl.
  • Add the garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and oregano (if using) and mix well.
  • Make this a few hours before you serve it so the flavors have time to develop.
  • Use as part of the selection on an antipasto platter, as a side dish, on crostini, in a sandwich or however you choose.
  • Keep any leftover pepper in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

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