Roasted Peppers and Secret Sauces

Roasting chilis and peppers are one of life's great joys I think. The flavor of these beauties is enhanced and concentrated, all they need is a little salt, and good olive oil but if you want to get creative you can try my "no so secret sauces."

To Roast the Peppers:

The best and least messy way to do this is over a wood fire. The wood smoke adds a wonderful flavor but if you don't have a wood fire handy, a stove top or oven will do. To roast the peppers on the stove top, simply place them whole on the electric coils or on the gas burners, turn the heat on medium and turn them as they begin to char. Make sure they are evenly blackened on all sides and soft to the touch. After they are cooked, place them in a paper or plastic bag to steam for about 5-10 minutes then slip off the burnt skins. I do not recommend rinsing them with water after this step. Pick off all the seeds, now you're ready to serve.

In the oven, remove the tops/stems of the peppers, the seeds and cut them in half. Place them cut side down on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake at 425 F until they are soft and blackened. Then follow the rest of the directions above.

Once the peppers are peeled, you can serve them with just olive oil and salt, you can puree them into a sauce or soup, chop them up with a few olives, anchovies and capers and make a bruschetta out of them or you can serve then with sauce accompaniments.

**For a super colorful dish, used red, yellow and orange peppers.

Anchovy sauce

6 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove
2-3 capers
olive oil
ground pepper

Combine the ingredients and blend with a stick blender. This sauce needs more oil b/c the anchovies are very salty, the consistency should be runny.

Lemon-Mint Sauce

a handful of mint leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 garlic clove
rind of one lemon
olive oil

Combine all the ingredients and blend with a stick blender. Add enough oil so the sauce resembles a pesto.



Peppers before sauces.


Peppers after sauces.


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