I decided last week to make a roasted red pepper sauce, which required me to actually roast red peppers. I guess I could have bought a jar of roasted red peppers, but what fun is that? I lived in Mexico for awhile, and friends of mine roasted poblano peppers frequently, so I had seen this process before. In Mexico, we roasted the peppers either on a grill or directly in the flames on a stove burner, but I had access to neither one of those options, so I roasted my peppers in the oven under the broiler. I thought that this would only take a short time, and kept watching and watching, but it really took 5-6 minutes per side. Once they start to get blackened spots, they need to be turned. After they are roasted, you have to slice them and scrape the skin off. I have seen this done, but didn't realize what a long process this would be! At first, I tried to take the skin off with the pepper still whole and intact, which didn't work very well. When trying to remove it on the whole pepper, the skin gets stuck around the top and bottom where the heat didn't hit directly. Also, while trying to hold the pepper still, it can tear (juices ooze out, making it harder to hold), and the seeds go everywhere and later need to be removed. I ended up cutting the pepper into slices first, and then scraping the skin off from top to bottom, and it was so much easier! Once I realized how to remove the skin better, it went a lot faster. It took probably 45 minutes or so from start to finish, so it is a long process, especially if it is only the first step in another recipe.
"Roasted Red Peppers" p. 574
Laurie, you can leave the peppers under the broiler for longer--until they are fully blackened all around. The skin comes off more easily if it's blacker, and the inside usually is just fine.
ReplyDeleteI have never tried roasted red pepper sauce....kudos to you! But I do like to roast them occasionally for various reasons. I know I did it recently, but I don't remember what I did with them.....I will let you know if I think of it.
Roasted poblano peppers....mmmmmmmm ((Giedra)
Good to know! Thanks! The recipe said to roast them until they begin to blister. I left them in even a bit longer than I thought I should, but next time I'll really blacken them! And yes, roasted poblanos are good! My friend used to make a cream sauce with them (among other things) that was so very good!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, once they are black, put them into a plastic or paper bag so that they 'sweat'. It makes taking the skins off easier.
ReplyDeleteoops--for 15 min or so.
ReplyDelete