PREPPING PEPPERS:

There are two ways to prepare your peppers for roasting.

1. The first is to simply roast the whole pepper, seeds, stem and all. (This will work with all roasting methods.)
2. The second is to slice the peppers in half lengthwise, remove the stem and seeds, and place on the baking sheet cut side down. (Use this method for the oven method and/or when using a baking sheet. These peppers require no flipping, only rotating of the baking sheet. This is my favorite way of roasting peppers.)

ROASTING METHODS:

Oven: Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.

Place peppers on baking sheet. Bake 4 – 5 inches from the flame. If using an electric oven or there is no flame, place baking sheet on the middle rack. Roast peppers for 40 minutes, turning at least once during cooking using sturdy tongs (if peppers are sliced in half no need to turn, just rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees). They are ready when charred/blackened and blistered. Whole peppers will still be full of air and puffy once removed from the oven. As the peppers cool they will deflate and become wrinkly looking.

Broiler: I used to have an oven where the broiler was underneath the oven, now mine is in the oven. Either way, turn broiler to medium – high (or 500 degrees if yours is by numbers) and char peppers turning every so often until browned and blackened. If you’ve prepped your peppers by slicing in half, no need turn the peppers, simply adjust the baking sheet turning it to get all the peppers charred. This may take anywhere from 15 – 25 minutes.

Open Grill: Place whole peppers on their sides over an open flame on the grill, turning every now and then until nicely charred all over. Depending on how big your grill is will determine how many you can do at one time.

Stove Top: If roasting just 1 or 2 peppers, you can roast it over the gas burner of your stove (I suppose you could do 4 peppers utilizing each burner). Place pepper on its side and adjust the flame so it ‘licks’ the peppers. Keep an eye on it and turn it as needed to blacken and char, about 15 – 20. This tends to be a more time consuming method since you have to be so watchful.

STEAMING & PEELING:

While peppers are hot from the oven, carefully place them in a bowl and cover with a plate, or use a pot with lid. The goal is to steam the peppers making the skin peel easily. Let the peppers steam for about 30 minutes. Once peppers are cool, remove the skins, stems and seeds. I find it easiest to peel the pepper from the bottom to the top. A few seeds left are fine. Do not run peppers under water to clean, you’ll lose most of the roasted flavor that you worked so hard get. Keep as much of the pepper juices as you can if storing leftovers.

From here you can use right away to make hummus, romesco, soups, layer on sandwiches and toss in salads, etc.

STORING:

Rerfrigerator: Great for short term storage.

• Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a 5 – 6 days.
• If you coat them with a little oil they will for a couple of weeks. You can even add some of the pepper juices to the container.
• To always be safe, at the first sign of mold or spoilage, throw away immediately.

If storing for longer, you have a couple simple options:

Freezing: This is my favorite method of long term storing, as it is not blended with any other flavors, it’s super easy to do, and they thaw out amazingly well.

• Freeze your peppers in a tightly sealed container. They thaw out pretty fast once removed from the freezer making this a nice way of preserving your precious peppers.
• This method of storing is a neutral way of keeping the full roasted flavor intact as they won’t be tainted with any other flavors.
• I would suggest cutting and placing a small piece of parchment paper between the peppers for easy removal.
• Will last up to 2 months. 

Vinegar Method: This is method will leave your peppers with a little bit of tang from the vinegar, in some cases it may overpower them, but it’s a great way to store them. Use these peppers for sauces, dips, and soups.

• Place peppers in a jar with a little salt, vinegar and pepper juices.
• To do this you’ll want to sprinkle your peppers with a generous pinch of mineral salt and mix well.
• Place 1/2 inch of vinegar at the bottom of your pint sized mason jar, add peppers leaving about 1 1/2 inches headspace.
• Using the handle of a spoon or fork, poke along the inside edges of the jar to release air bubbles (this is important), pour reserved pepper juices over top so peppers are completely covered, leaving 3/4 inch room.
• Add about 1/8 inch of olive oil over top to keep air out, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
• Seal and place towards the back of the refrigerator. Will be good for up to 2 months, maybe even a little longer.
• If you see any sign of mold or spoilage, throw away immediately!