Marinated roasted bell peppers WOWS as a side dish
Admit it, when it comes to bringing a small dish to a pot-luck you want to bring a wow small dish just as much as I do. If you like bell peppers this is hands down the small-dish to bring. TRUST ME!
the down side? The roasting and peeling. But, I will say it sounds more daunting than it actually is. The roasting happens fairly quickly and you don't have to do much other than set it and turn it occasionally (when I say "occasionally" I mean once or twice). The peeling is by far the worse part of the recipe, but even that is somewhat pleasurable, for if done correctly it can feel like peeling Elmer's glue from the palm of your hands minus the funny smell (you do this as a child, didn't you?)
So, while on the onset the steps may deter you to try this recipe I highly suggest you overcome your fears of doing anything slightly more strenuous and JUST DO IT. You will thank me, I assure you. And not too long from now you'll be hoping for a pot luck just so you can bring this wow dish and dazzle more people to being your friend.
This dish tastes of roasted bell peppers, slightly sweet yet tangy, and salty, with a hint of brine (from the capers). It looks exotic and tastes fancy.
This recipe is FOR 4-6 (the pictures below contain 8 bell peppers because I'm making more)
You will need:
4 Large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (I use a mix of these. But also, notice how I omit the green bell peppers, there is a reason for this so don't use them for this recipe).
2 TBSP good olive oil
1 TBSP good balsamic vinegar (I go for sweeter balsamic, but use what you like or what you have).
2 Cloves of garlic pressed, minced is just fine too if you don't have a garlic press
2 TSP salt (I use kosher salt which isn't as salty as other salts, so you may need less depending on what kind of salt you are using - simply taste as you go)
1 TSP black pepper (I use fresh ground - which means about 10 turns)
2 TBSP drained capers (or more, if you love them – just remember to taste as you go).
And this is what you do:
1. Preheat over to 500
2. Wash and dry bell peppers. Trim the green stem to keep it from burning. Put the washed and trimmed bell peppers on a sheet pan lined with foil. Roast bell peppers in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes (I go for about 40 minutes, but it really depends on how large your bell peppers are and how hot your oven runs). What you're looking for is char and wrinkled skin). Turn the bell peppers 2x while they are in the oven so they char throughout.
3. Transfer the just roasted bell peppers into a large glass bowl and cover with foil, set aside for 30 minutes or until cool enough to handle. This will steam the bell peppers which helps peeling the skin off of them.
4. In the meantime make the sauce. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and peppers in a small bowl and set aside. (The capers will get tossed in at the end).
5. When bell peppers are cool enough to handle begin peeling the skins off of them. the skin, stem, and seeds can be discarded. Try to keep as much of the bell pepper juice as you can – this will get added to your sauce.
6. Once the bell peppers are peeled slice them lengthwise into four strips, you can slice them thinner, but I find if you go too thin it loses texture and bite (still, I usually slice them into thinner strips when I have more people to feed *winkwink).
7. Add the sauce mixture to the bell peppers and it's juices, combine. Then add the drained capers and combine.
* Serve ontop of sliced fresh bread. Layer red onions and basil on top! The possibilities are endless!