Post by pookie on Jul 24, 2006 15:10:20 GMT -5
A roasted pepper is a beautiful thing; soft and juicy with a hint of smoky goodness. So how do you do that yourself? Read on to find out!
Here are some basics before we get started into the methods. First, when you’re picking out your peppers, make sure that the flesh is still firm. Soft spots are an indicator that the pepper is bad inside. Second, make sure you thoroughly clean the pepper, especially the top, as peppers often have field dirt still on them. Lastly, if you are working with spicy peppers, wear gloves and don’t wipe your eyes!
Now, on with the roasting…
One of the best and most expeditious ways for the home cook to roast a pepper is over an open flame. If you have a gas-burning stove, you can light one of your burners and roast the pepper there. Be careful, though, because this generally only works with the smaller peppers. Pierce the pepper with a long fork and turn the heat on the burner up to high. Hold the pepper just a couple inches over the gas flame until the skin blackens. Once the skin, blackens, start rotating the pepper until you get the whole skin of the pepper blackened. Let the pepper sit until it cools down, otherwise, it will be way too hot to handle. If you need to peel the pepper, gently grip the pepper and slowly tear away the skin from the flesh of the pepper. Sometimes, a bit of the skin will grip the flesh. The best thing to do in that situation is to simply leave that part on there or cut out that part of the flesh and skin. Note that this is much more difficult to do with a large pepper than it is with a small one because as the large pepper roasts, it will get soft and the extra weight of the pepper makes it tend to droop down over the fork, which can cause a big mess. This method takes about four to six minutes.
The next way to roast a pepper is to do it in the oven. Since most people don’t have gas stoves and aren’t willing to fire up a grill for a couple of peppers, oven roasting is the most common way to do it. This also works very well for large peppers, like red bell peppers. Pre-heat the oven to 400 to 425 degrees and make sure the rack you are going to roast the pepper on is close to the heat source of the stove. In some ovens, that’s the top rack. If that’s the case, make sure there is just enough room between the top rack and the top of the oven to fit the pepper. Once the oven is heated, place the pepper on the open rack (if you’re roasting small peppers, it’s ok to put them on a baking sheet.) Placing the pepper on the open rack allows the warm air to hit the pepper on all sides. Make sure to place a piece of tinfoil underneath the pepper to catch any juices that fall, or else you’ll find yourself scrubbing your oven later on. After about twenty minutes (ten minutes for a small pepper), check the pepper to see if it’s blistered on one side. If it hasn’t, let the pepper keep cooking another ten minutes and check it again. If it has significantly blistered on one side and most of the skin has puffed up, rotate the pepper to the next side, let it keep cooking for another ten minutes, and check it again. Keep doing this until the pepper is mostly blistered. This can take from 30 to 45 minutes to fully roast a red bell pepper. Once you are done with the roasting, gently roll the pepper along the rack and into a bowl, or lift the pepper with a pair of blunt tongs. Do not use the tongs with the sharp ridges as this will most likely pierce the pepper skin and you’ll lose all of that tasty juice to the maw of your oven. After the pepper is in the bowl, cover the bowl with a dish towel so that the pepper continues to steam. This makes it much easier to remove the skin. You should also do this with the smaller peppers. Let them sit for about fifteen minutes and then start peeling them. The best way to peel them is to make a slit in the blistered skin and gently lift the pepper and let it roll out of the skin. Here, you can let gravity do the work. Once the skin is removed, pull off the stem, which should still have the seeds attached. You can save the liquid for something else (and I recommend that you do, because it’s delicious!)
The last way to roast a pepper is a mix of the above two methods. This method requires a charcoal grill with a high flame. Place the pepper on the grill rack over the open flame and close the grill. This will blacken the pepper after just a few minutes. Open up the grill and rotate the pepper with some blunt tongs so the other side blisters and blackens, as well. Again, with this method, use either blunt tongs to remove the pepper or roll it off the grill into your bowl. By keeping the grill closed, you add a nice smoky flavor to your roasted pepper. Try using different types of wood like mesquite for some extra flavor. This method is the most labor intensive, but also produces the highest quality of roasted pepper. This also happens to be the traditional method of roasting peppers, too!
With the last two methods, it is important not to cut or pierce the pepper, so don't chop up your pepper. While it roasts by these last two methods, it is also steaming on the inside. If the pepper is pierced, that steam is released and so the inside does not soften the same way. Keeping the pepper intact is also a way to make sure that the wonderful pepper juice does not escape. When you do finally peel the pepper, you can save that juice for something else!
Here are some basics before we get started into the methods. First, when you’re picking out your peppers, make sure that the flesh is still firm. Soft spots are an indicator that the pepper is bad inside. Second, make sure you thoroughly clean the pepper, especially the top, as peppers often have field dirt still on them. Lastly, if you are working with spicy peppers, wear gloves and don’t wipe your eyes!
Now, on with the roasting…
One of the best and most expeditious ways for the home cook to roast a pepper is over an open flame. If you have a gas-burning stove, you can light one of your burners and roast the pepper there. Be careful, though, because this generally only works with the smaller peppers. Pierce the pepper with a long fork and turn the heat on the burner up to high. Hold the pepper just a couple inches over the gas flame until the skin blackens. Once the skin, blackens, start rotating the pepper until you get the whole skin of the pepper blackened. Let the pepper sit until it cools down, otherwise, it will be way too hot to handle. If you need to peel the pepper, gently grip the pepper and slowly tear away the skin from the flesh of the pepper. Sometimes, a bit of the skin will grip the flesh. The best thing to do in that situation is to simply leave that part on there or cut out that part of the flesh and skin. Note that this is much more difficult to do with a large pepper than it is with a small one because as the large pepper roasts, it will get soft and the extra weight of the pepper makes it tend to droop down over the fork, which can cause a big mess. This method takes about four to six minutes.
The next way to roast a pepper is to do it in the oven. Since most people don’t have gas stoves and aren’t willing to fire up a grill for a couple of peppers, oven roasting is the most common way to do it. This also works very well for large peppers, like red bell peppers. Pre-heat the oven to 400 to 425 degrees and make sure the rack you are going to roast the pepper on is close to the heat source of the stove. In some ovens, that’s the top rack. If that’s the case, make sure there is just enough room between the top rack and the top of the oven to fit the pepper. Once the oven is heated, place the pepper on the open rack (if you’re roasting small peppers, it’s ok to put them on a baking sheet.) Placing the pepper on the open rack allows the warm air to hit the pepper on all sides. Make sure to place a piece of tinfoil underneath the pepper to catch any juices that fall, or else you’ll find yourself scrubbing your oven later on. After about twenty minutes (ten minutes for a small pepper), check the pepper to see if it’s blistered on one side. If it hasn’t, let the pepper keep cooking another ten minutes and check it again. If it has significantly blistered on one side and most of the skin has puffed up, rotate the pepper to the next side, let it keep cooking for another ten minutes, and check it again. Keep doing this until the pepper is mostly blistered. This can take from 30 to 45 minutes to fully roast a red bell pepper. Once you are done with the roasting, gently roll the pepper along the rack and into a bowl, or lift the pepper with a pair of blunt tongs. Do not use the tongs with the sharp ridges as this will most likely pierce the pepper skin and you’ll lose all of that tasty juice to the maw of your oven. After the pepper is in the bowl, cover the bowl with a dish towel so that the pepper continues to steam. This makes it much easier to remove the skin. You should also do this with the smaller peppers. Let them sit for about fifteen minutes and then start peeling them. The best way to peel them is to make a slit in the blistered skin and gently lift the pepper and let it roll out of the skin. Here, you can let gravity do the work. Once the skin is removed, pull off the stem, which should still have the seeds attached. You can save the liquid for something else (and I recommend that you do, because it’s delicious!)
The last way to roast a pepper is a mix of the above two methods. This method requires a charcoal grill with a high flame. Place the pepper on the grill rack over the open flame and close the grill. This will blacken the pepper after just a few minutes. Open up the grill and rotate the pepper with some blunt tongs so the other side blisters and blackens, as well. Again, with this method, use either blunt tongs to remove the pepper or roll it off the grill into your bowl. By keeping the grill closed, you add a nice smoky flavor to your roasted pepper. Try using different types of wood like mesquite for some extra flavor. This method is the most labor intensive, but also produces the highest quality of roasted pepper. This also happens to be the traditional method of roasting peppers, too!
With the last two methods, it is important not to cut or pierce the pepper, so don't chop up your pepper. While it roasts by these last two methods, it is also steaming on the inside. If the pepper is pierced, that steam is released and so the inside does not soften the same way. Keeping the pepper intact is also a way to make sure that the wonderful pepper juice does not escape. When you do finally peel the pepper, you can save that juice for something else!
