Roasting Fresh Peppers

Roasting Fresh Peppers

Fresh large peppers, both hot and sweet, have a tough, translucent outer skin that should be removed, unless you plan to serve them raw. The easiest method of loosening the skin is by blackening the skins over a gas burner, under the broiler, or over a grill. Peppers can be roasted, peeled, seeded, and the membranes removed as described below about 1 to 2 days in advance of their use in your cooking. Roasted peppers can also be placed in a container, covered with olive oil, and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Before using, drain the olive oil from the peppers.

Place the peppers directly on the burner cover of a gas-stove burner over high heat or on a grill. Turn the pepper with kitchen tongs so that each section of the pepper skin puffs up and turns black. (Be careful not to let the peppers overcook.) If you don't have a gas stove, place the peppers on a baking pan, and place them under the broiler in the oven, turning each side as it becomes puffy and black. Use the same technique if you're using a grill.

Once the peppers have blackened, transfer the peppers to a large bowl, and cover the bowl immediately with aluminum foil. The juices from the roasted peppers will collect in the bowl. Let the peppers sweat in the covered bowl until they are cool enough to touch. The steam will help to loosen the skins of the pepper. (If you have very sensitive skin, always wear thin plastic gloves when working with peppers.) Remove blackened skin from peppers and discard. Not all of the skin will easily peel away from the pepper, so it's acceptable to leave a few pieces of blackened skin on the pepper. Avoid rinsing the peppers with water.