Between a bumper crop of hot peppers from our garden and the hoards of sweet peppers in our CSA, we've got peppers coming out our ears! This weekend, we have plans to roast the whole lot and store some away for the months ahead. Here's what we're thinking:
Weekend Project: Roasting and Storing Peppers
Instead of the stove top method, the best way to roast large batches of peppers is under the broiler. Keep an eye on them and turn the peppers frequently ensure even charring.
Roasted peppers freeze and defrost surprisingly well. Stack the peeled and seeded peppers with two pieces of wax paper between each layer (we think the double layer makes it easier to snag exactly how many peppers we want). The peppers thaw quickly on the counter top.
You can also store roasted peppers in olive oil and in the fridge for about two weeks. The olive oil can be left on for a silky texture or rinsed off. We'd like to experiment with infusing the olive oil with other herbs and spices to see if the peppers pick up extra flavor.
Cook's Illustrated also mentions that you can store roasted sweet peppers in balsamic vinegar. This isn't ideal for all preparations since the peppers do pick up the flavor of the vinegar, but we could see using these peppers in salads and dips or as a topping for bruschetta and pizza.
Any other ideas or suggestions we should try?
Related: What Are You Doing With Your Harvest?
(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)
Tags
Tips & Techniques, Gardening, Inspiration, Ingredients - Vegetables, Projects, Frugality, pepper, roasted pepper, roasting pepper, bell pepper, red pepperRelated Links
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I love to make Jalapeno jelly our of my peppers. It really doesn't use a lot of them though, but it does go over very well at work and parties.
I have also dried them with some garlic and used it to flavor olive oil or put in soups.
view tarasana's profile
The broiler works great. Just don't be an idiot, like I was earlier this week, and forget that Pyrex, um, doesn't do well if you use it under the broiler. As in, explodes into many lethal shards when you take it out. Photos of the carnage coming soon, but seriously: Use a sheet pan. With edges, since they can ooze a bit of water.
view katef's profile
Hi Emma,
Thanks for the helpful info. I love roasted peppers! But if you get tired of roasting or are feeling a little lazy, you can use my favorite method to preserve the rest of your peppers: simply cut off the stems, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (save some from your best specimens if you're a gardener!), pack them into a zipper bag, and toss them in the freezer. That's it. No blanching or special equipment required.
They don't come out super crisp for salads or snacking but are great for making dips/spreads or adding to slow cooked dutch oven dinners, etc. You can read more about the process in this post on my kitchen garden blog. Now if only I had my usual sweet pepper glut this year! : )
view Farmgirl Susan's profile
What about drying them? Any tips on that? Katef, I did that recently myself and felt like an idiot too. Glad to know I'm not the only one!
view aleec's profile
eat them all, immediately...yum! just kidding, but you are definitely making me want to roast some peppers this weekend. we use roasted red bells and anaheims in a balsamic-garlic israeli couscous salad. we probably make it every two weeks and it never gets old!
view akostalas's profile
Here in New Mexico chili is roasted and then frozen in the skin for longer storage. You just thaw what you want, pull off the stem end and slip the skins right off in one quick motion. Easy! I also tend to squeeze out most of the seeds after I take the stem end off, we're not able to handle all the heat these chili's have.
view Shell's profile