DIY: Roasted Red Pepper

Sure, you could pay six dollars and up for a jar of roasted, peeled red peppers, or you could make your own for one-sixth of the price!

Sara & I attended a Williams-Sonoma cooking class weeks ago at Columbus Circle. Sara had won the class and kindly invited me to join her. We showed up early on a Saturday morning, ready to learn and taste! One of the chefs running the demonstration roasted a pepper while we talked, and it was so easy that I decided to try it myself.

Easy is right--you take the pepper and place it right over the gas flame! Unfortunately, my burners weren't as tall as the ones at the store, so my blackening wasn't as even, but I could tell by the smell it was getting the job done.

A few alarming pops and cracks happen, and you definitely have to keep a constant eye on this, but it was so simple I can't believe I waited this long to do it!

It took about six minutes to get the look I wanted. Once I had sufficiently charred it (you can really smell the aroma of the roasted pepper at this point), I put it in a bowl and sealed the top with plastic wrap. This is supposed to seal in the moisture and make the skins even easier to remove. After 30 minutes of letting the pepper sit, I ran it under some cold water and presto--peeled, charred peppers! I removed the seeds but saved the juice from the pepper and added that to the jar I used to store it. Some reviews I read online said this is not a 'true' roasted pepper, and that you have to toss it in the oven for a bit like I did with the broccoli, so I did half and half. Both versions came out delicious. So fun and so good for you!