Grill-Roasted Red Peppers

Here’s a fun recipe that I picked up from America’s Test Kitchen. I was especially happy to learn this recipe because we have an electric glass top stove in our house, which obviously is not appropriate for roasting red peppers over an open flame. Now that I was introduced to this grilled version, I am looking forward to many jars of home-made roasted red peppers this summer season.

Traditionally, you would roast a red bell pepper over an open flame, making sure that the pepper gets charred evenly on all four sides. Once charred, you place the peppers into a paper bag or a sealed container to cool, then simply peel off the blistered, charred skin and voila…roasted red peppers! The secret to this unique recipe is roasting the peppers with a bit of olive oil and fresh garlic in a covered aluminum tray on the grill prior to sitting them over the open flames. This step actually steams the peppers, causing them to flatten out and become much more pliable. When it’s time to grill the peppers over the open flame, they will actually lay flat on the grill, which means you only have to grill two sides of the pepper instead of four. You can re-use the foil covering from the roasting pan to wrap and cool the peppers prior to peeling the blistered skin. And be sure to reserve the oil and garlic from the roasting pan, as you can add it to the roasted peppers as a marinade for additional flavor.

Step 1 – remove the cap, core and seeds from 2 to 3 red bell peppers. Place in an aluminum tray, drizzle with 1/2 cup olive oil. Add a few cloves of garlic, whole or minced, to the tray. Cover with foil.

Step 2 – place the covered tray over direct high heat. Lower the lid on the grill, let roast for 20 minutes. Carefully remove tray and foil covering when done.

Step 3 – remove the peppers from the tray, reserving the foil covering and the oil and garlic marinade. Lay the peppers over direct high heat. Grill for 20 minutes, or until both sides of the peppers are charred and start to blister, flipping occasionally.

Step 4 – wrap the charred peppers in the aluminum foil, or in a sealed container or paper bag, let cool for 1 hour. Once cooled, peel off charred skin, slice peppers into strips and mix with oil and garlic marinade.