Peppers seem to elicit a mixed response, there seem to be two very clear camps, the lovers and the haters. Not entirely unlike the pineapple on a pizza debate, but let’s not go there. Personally speaking, raw peppers are not my favourite, they repeat on me like a nasty polony, yes that dreaded mystery meat from the dark portals of childhood.
However if you pump up the oven to a skin blistering grill and roast those babies until they are chargrilled, sweat them in a packet and then skin them, you have another creation altogether, the flesh is silky and sweet with little smoky notes, in other words a thing of great beauty and delight.
Add some fresh herbs, smashed garlic, bay, olive oil and anchovies and you have the quintessential snack, the perfect topping on a toasted slice of sourdough bread, with a generous grating of parmesan cheese. Mama Mia thats good, and the good news is that the longer you let these guys stand the more the flavours develop.
To make, you will need:
6 red peppers, rinsed and halved lengthways
Olive oil to baste the peppers and at least another 1/2 cup for marinating
1 bunch of roughly torn herbs, you can use whatever combination you like, I use, Italian parsley, thyme and oregano.
3 bayleaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed, not obliterated.
5-6 peppercorns, whole
10-15 good quality anchovies, roughly torn (if you aren’t a fan, you could omit these)
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Method:
Place your oven shelf, one row above halfway.
Place your griller on its hottest setting.
Halve the rinsed peppers and arrange on an oven tray, cut side down.
Lightly brush the peppers with olive oil, pop them in the oven and let them grill. You want the skins to be charred, yes black, that they look burnt, this is what gives them their delicious smoky notes.
Once the pepper skins are charred, remove from the oven, take them off the oven tray and place them in a packet, stacked on top of each other. Close the packet with a loose knot and allow them to sweat for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the peppers individually from the packet once they have been allowed to sweat, and remove the burnt skin and seeds with your fingers, the skin should slide off easily. Discard these and place the skinless peppers on a plate.
Once you have peeled all the peppers, roughly tear them into thickish slices and place in a non-metallic bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl with the peppers, mix well and set aside for a minimum of 24 hours.
I like to sterilise 4 glass jars and once the peppers have marinated overnight, I decant them into the jars and keep them as gifts or as the perfect addition to an antipasti platter or a delicious lunchtime snack.
Mediterranean delight👍