Roasted Red Peppers
I made homemade tomato sauce yesterday and decided to roast the peppers. I’ve never tried anything like this before, but it was simple. Most people recommend the BBQ but it was raining so I used the stove:
- Preheat broiler to high and move up the rack
- Rotate the peppers as each side blackens
- Place in ziplock bag and put it in the fridge or freezer to cool. As the steam from the peppers condenses, the skin becomes easier to peel off.
Once the peppers have cooled, carefully peel off the blackened skin and discard. You can do this with your fingers or a sharp pairing knife. Pull or cut off the top of the pepper and squeeze gently to remove the seeds. Never rinse or wash the peppers as the water will diminish the smoky flavor.
If you are making a large batch, cover in oil, adding garlic slices or herbs, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. You can also try canning them to give as a gift with the sauce (maybe next year). This is a recipe that follows its namesake, simple »
Judi also freezes hers – she says: I don’t add anything to the peppers before freezing. Just do the roast and remove the black. I cut them up into strips because that’s how they go into the sauce. You can freeze them however you need to use them on the other end. If you need to cut them up after thawing, don’t let them thaw all the way, they get very difficult to cut.
I will likely made tomato sauce next year with just onions and spices to reduce the processing time and freeze a basket of roasted red peppers separately.
