Genius Recipes's Notes:
Expand8 medium sweet red peppers, washed, cored, seeded and cut lengthwise into strips about 1" wide Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons coarse or kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced Ask a question about this ingredient
1/3 cup olive oil (about) Ask a question about this ingredient
Arrange a layer of pepper strips in the bottom of a shallow bowl no more than 9 inches in diameter; sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt; now add 7 more layers of pepper strips, sprinkling each with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for at least 12 hours. Drain off excess liquid.
Ask a question about this stepTurn on the oven to its keep warm-setting (250º to 275º F.). Place the bowl of peppers, still uncovered, in the oven and roast 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until all juices have been absorbed, the peppers are soft, and the skin pulls away easily from the flesh. If you start to notice them drying out, cover them with foil for the remainder of the time. Remove and cool to room temperature. Now peel the skin from each pepper strip and discard. Place the garlic and the pepper strips in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, or in an electric blender cup, and add about half of the oil; buzz nonstop about 30 seconds, scrape down the sides, and buzz 30 seconds more. With the motor running, drizzle in enough of the remaining oil to make a paste slightly softer than whipped butter. Churn 60 seconds until absolutely smooth.
Ask a question about this stepNote: If you have neither food processor nor blender, you'll have to grind the garlic and peppers to paste as the Portuguese women do--with a mortar and pestle. You must then add the olive oil very slowly, drop by drop at first, beating hard to incorporate.
Ask a question about this stepTransfer to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Ask a question about this stepWow, this is truly a life-changing technique. Just had it on a butternut squash and broccolini salad with hard boiled eggs. Amazing.
Tried the recipe and could not get the peels off the peppers despite being in the oven for 3 hours. Threw them in the blender with garlic and oil and then passed through sieve.
Consistency is lovely, and swirling it into chilled green pea soup tonight.
My favorite way of peeling peppers is to quarter them, flatten out on a cookie sheet, cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes in 400 oven. Works like ac charm every time.
made a similar past recently using roasted serrano chiles and red onions and adding some vinegar along with the oil. Looked just like the picture above, but had a bit more kick. Roasted pastes are a great way to use summer's bounty.
Roasted red peppers are ambrosial however you get there! Seems to me this wonderful sauce would freeze well, as boulangere suggests.. anyone disagree?
You're teasing us with that egg cup again.
@ NYLatina PR: I would not recommend canning it, as it lacks acidity and then spores can develop. I make something similar when I have an abundance of red bell peppers from the garden (removing the skins from the peppers the described way is a genius trick I did not know about, will certainly try that soon). I put mine in a sterilized jar and pour some EVOO on top to seal. It keeps a couple of weeks in the fridge. The alternative is freezing it. - @ drbabs: I agree with Kristen, adding the garlic to the peppers during roasting makes it more mellow, which I prefer too.
I wonder how long it keeps in the fridge. Or...if I knew how to jar/can I could do that!
I'm wondering how long it will keep in the fridge, also. I'm guessing 5-7 days. Does it freeze well?
I think up to a week; you can also cut the recipe to 4 or 6 peppers and reduce the other ingredients accordingly to make a smaller amount.
So the roasting process does not make them crispy, it facilitates the peeling part? I'm trying to distinguish how this is different from broiling peppers or oven-drying them so I get the consistency right.
They oven dry and roast very gently for a wonderful sweet mild flavor, without the bitter components of broiled peppers. They get dryer but are still a little moist.
(I have the cookbook and can honestly say life would not be the same without this wonderful recipe!)
yum...would it be a bad thing to roast the garlic at the same time as the peppers?
No way would that be a bad thing -- just different! More mellow, less feisty and fire breath-y.
And probably less stomach-upsetting. (I have a love-hate relationship with garlic. I love it. It hates me.)
I'm thinking RG, too, drb.
Dorie is a food writer and award-winning author of ten cookbooks, her most recent being Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.
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In my experience, putting olive oil in the blender or food processor makes it bitter. Have people not found this to be a problem?