When a recipe calls for roasted red peppers, you may choose to buy them in a jar from your favorite store – or save some money and gain a little culinary confidence by roasting them yourself.

This process works for all peppers. Try roasting poblanos, hatch, and even jalapenos this way, just watch the smaller peppers a little more closely. Do not roast habaneros inside the house. Leave that to the hazmat suited professionals.

Ingredients:

As many peppers as you would like to roast
Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Rinse the pepper and pat them dry.

Slice off the stem end and scrape out the seeds and connective ribs.

If you choose to roast whole peppers, turn them about halfway through the roasting time. Otherwise, slice them in half for an even easier roasting experience.

Brush each pepper lightly with olive oil.

Lay the oiled peppers peppers skin side up in a roasting pan. Choose a pan with a side to stop oily peppers from sliding off onto the floor.

Roast the peppers for about 15-20 minutes or until the skins blacken and blister. If you are roasting whole peppers, they should be turned after about 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven.

Use tongs to place the peppers inside a brown paper bag. Roll the top and set the peppers on the counter to cool for 10 minutes. The paper bag traps steam inside, and allows a bit of the heat to escape so you get wonderfully easy to peel peppers. Do not use plastic bags. Trust me on this. I’ve experimented.

Once the roasted peppers are cool enough to handle, remove them from the bag and peel off the loose crinkly skins and excess black bits with your fingers. There is no need to completely strip the pepper of skin and blackened bits. Just remove what comes off easily.

Slice or dice as your recipe calls for.

If you’ve roasted a peck of pretty peppers and have more peppers than your recipe calls for, place them inside a sanitized preserve jar, surround with oil, and store in them in the fridge for up to two weeks. Because they are not canned, they are not shelf stable, and will have a limited lifespan. Be safe.