There’s nothing like roasted red peppers to add that extra flavor to a sandwich, as a side-dish, appetizer or in your favorite recipe. We usually roast red bell peppers but you can certainly roast green, yellow, orange… or any other color you like. Roasting red peppers has been an annual tradition in our family for as long as I can remember. (We also make several jars or red pepper sauce to use in another Italian specialty coming up in a few months, so stay tuned… right Maria from Philly?;)

As usual, the process varies but here’s how we roast our red peppers… and remember, as my dad likes to say, “No work?, no eat!”

1- We buy red bell peppers by the case or pick them at a local farm. The price seems to vary from year to year. Late September or early October is usually the best time to find red bell peppers at a great price in our area as they are in season. We picked them for $10 per bushel this year.

2- Wash the peppers and remove any blemishes but do not remove the stems or cores. Leave the peppers whole.

3- Place them on a fire grill. We use a wood burning grill that dad made by cutting a barrel in half. Any flame grill can be used but make sure the flames are large enough to char the skin of the peppers. If you slow cook the peppers, they will be too mushy (mushy is a very technical term!) I’ve heard of people brushing oil on their peppers but I don’t see a need to do it.

The pepper cooker

4- We designate a “pepper cooker” (Dad) that is in charge of cooking the peppers on the grill. (what else would a “pepper cooker” be in charge of??) It’s important to cook the peppers enough to char the skin so that it peels off easily and that’s it. Don’t cook the entire pepper. This is done by turning the peppers often. It takes some practice but isn’t that difficult.

5- Once the peppers are ready, take them off the grill and let them cool a little. When they’ve cooled for a few minutes, you can hold them by the stem and peel the charred skin off with your fingers. Be careful, they should still be very hot. If you let them cool too much, they will be more difficult to peel. We usually have a bucket of water nearby to clean and cool our hands. Peel off as much of the skin as you can but don’t worry, there is always some black specks of charred skin or uncooked skin that remains (you’ll be able to tell how good your “pepper cooker” is by the amount of un-charred skin remains (the less un-charred skin the better) We usually remove the skin first and then go back and remove the stems and core. We do this because it’s easier to remove the skin when the peppers are still pretty hot, which means the insides are even hotter, so we wait until they cool down. It’s also easier to hold the peppers by the stems when removing the skin.

Important: do not dunk the peppers in water as they will lose flavor.

6 – Once you have removed the skin from the peppers and they have cooled down completely, go back and remove the stems and core of the peppers. You can also tear the peppers into pieces at this point. The size of the pieces is up to you and your preference. If there is still charred skin remaining, this is a good time to remove as much as you can.

7- Now that you have removed the skin, stems and core of the peppers and torn them into the size pieces that you want, you can start jarring them. We use small jars for the most part so that we have smaller portions when we decide to open a jar. We’ll make a few large quart size jars as well for holidays or special occasions. Make sure to pack the peppers down well as you jar them. Again, do not wash the peppers as they will lose flavor.

8 – Once you have jarred and topped your peppers, you will need to boil the jars to seal the tops. Put your jars in a large pot and fill the pot with water. Bring the water to a boil and let the jars boil for 20-30 minutes. Once they are done boiling, take them out, place them on a blanket and cover them. This will keep the jars from cooling too quickly and cracking.

Simple roasted red peppers: Open a jar of roasted red peppers, add a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic, cut a loaf of fresh bread and you have a great side dish or snack. Enjoy and buon appetito!