Roasted Bell Peppers

Photo source

Did you know that you can roast bell peppers yourself either in your oven, on your stove top if you have a gas stove or on a barbeque grill?  (Or, if you are really adventurous, with a propane torch, according to one comment I saw.)  Once you have successfully roasted peppers and tasted the results you will never go back to the store-bought variety--there is no comparison.  Roasting peppers is a bit labor-intensive but well worth the effort.  They can be used in salads, on sandwiches, with pasta, and you can freeze them for later use.

Directions for roasting peppers can be found on the following two links.  The first is for  roasting on a grill and the web site includes directions for roasting on a gas stove.  The second is a step-by-step with photos on roasting peppers in an oven.  Following the links is a recipe for a roasted red pepper dipping sauce that can be used with toasted bread, meatballs or fish.

Grill or gas stove roasting

Oven broiler roasting

Roasted Pepper Dipping Sauce

• 2 large roasted red peppers
• 1 head of roasted garlic cloves,
• 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of salt, a few turns of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Puree all ingredients together until smooth.

Roasted red and yellow peppers are also delicious in a sandwich, especially with prosciutto, goat cheese, and arugula on a ciabatta.

They also make a great summer vegetable salad when tossed with corn, mint, basil, red onion, lime juice and olive oil.

Recipe Source and additional use suggestions