Originally published on February 22, 2014
I’ve always been kind of fascinated with roasted peppers. I mean, you take this vegetable with super crisp and glossy skin, roast it for a few minutes, and it completely changes everything about it. The skin becomes withered, the flesh of the vegetable becomes something soft and pliable. And once a pepper is roasted you can use it for anything from sauces to antipasto platters to garnishes to simply adding a special little something to any dish. But when it comes to actually roasting the peppers, you have just about as many choices. Here are the four ways to roast a pepper, and what you’ll need to keep in mind when using any particular method.
Roasting
I start with roasting because in my opinion it’s by far the easiest, and cleanest, way to do it. Simply place peppers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and place in a 400 degree oven. Roast for 20 minutes then turn, and roast for another 15-20 minutes until the skins are charred and peppers are quite wilted. Remove from oven, place peppers in a paper bag and close. Allow peppers to rest for about 15 minutes before removing from bag, peeling skins off, and using peppers as needed.
Broiling
This works largely the same way as roasting except that your baking sheet should be placed closer to the top element, and you need to keep a really close eye on them. The peppers will also take just about 10 – 15 minutes to roast. They’ll still need to be placed in a paper bag so that the skins will peel off easily.
Gas element
You can just put the pepper on a fork or on a steel skewer, turn on the gas element, and hold the pepper over the flame campfire style. But, that will cause the pepper to wilt a bit, and juices will spill out, onto both your stovetop and into the element, which can be a real mess. Instead of doing this, wrap the entire pepper in aluminum foil before placing it directly over the element. The bonus to this is that you don’t need to steam the pepper in a bag afterwards, as it will already be wrapped in foil.
Grilling
This can be a great option any time of the year that you’re willing to get outside and fire up your grill. Just place the peppers directly on the rack, close the lid, and let sit for about 15 minutes or until the skins are charred, turning about halfway through. Place in a paper bag and allow skin to steam off.
For best storage after grilling the peppers, either can them if you have a large quantity, or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.