This recipe is from my Aunt Mary, who learned it from my grandmother, who no doubt learned it from her mother, and so on.

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Line a baking sheet that is at least 1/2” deep with aluminum foil. You will thank me for this because it makes clean up a snap. No scrubbing, just discard the aluminum foil.

3. Place peppers on the lined pan and place in oven.

4. After about 20-30 minutes you should smell the peppers cooking.

5. Around this time, use tongs to start checking the bottom of the peppers to if they are starting to brown:

6. Turn the peppers very carefully with the tongs. You don’t want to pierce them in any way or the juice inside the peppers will escape. If it does, or the peppers aren’t very juicy, you can put water on the caramelized bits to pick up the flavor and add to the peeled peppers.

7. After you have turned the peppers so that every side gets some color, you will see that they collapse a bit:

8. The peppers should have at least as much color as the photo above. The two peppers in the front of the pan are close to being done. The skin is nice and wrinkly—it should peel away in sheets.

9. Remove the peppers that are done to a deep bowl. You want to get every drop of juice they have inside. After they are in the bowl, you can grab the stem and pull it out immediately to let the juice escape and come in contact with the skin, but don’t actually peel the peppers until they are cool enough to handle. They are very hot and steamy inside and you can burn yourself:

10. Once the peppers have cooled down and can be handled, you are ready to start peeling and seeding. Pull the stem from the top carefully and discard it and the seeds that cling to it. The skin should pull off in sheets. Pull the pepper apart with your hands and rip long pieces, removing the seeds. If freezing, place in a container and layer. Whether freezing or not, the juice, which should be fairly brown from the skins, is absolutely important—it imparts a smoky undertone. Use a spoon to fish out the seeds (or otherwise remove them), and spoon the juice over the layered peppers. If you are freezing, make sure the juice is getting through to all the layers so that the peppers freeze evenly.

11. Six big peppers resulted in two large (about one cup) and two smaller freezer containers. I’ve kept peppers in the freezer for up to 13 months and they were perfectly fine.

12. To make roasted peppers for an antipasto:

Take a container that has about two or three peppers worth of roasted peppers (the bigger containers in the photo have about two peppers in them) and empty it into a bowl. Add salt to taste. Add in about half of a clove of garlic, sliced very thinly. Pour in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Stir and let sit for at least a few hours or (preferably) over night. Note: To vary the flavor, you can add a squeeze of lemon and/or some fresh basil or other herbs.

Enjoy!

Gina