Roasted Bell Peppers

Roasted Bell Peppers

Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 8 sweet peppers (Roma or bell, any color)
• 1 whole bulb of garlic
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 4-5 leaves of fresh)
• 1 teaspoon oregano (or 2 sprigs of fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

• 1 Turn on the broiler in the oven. (For those of you in the UK, set the grill to highest setting) Put one shelf at the lowest level and the other shelf at the highest level.
• 2 Cut off the top of the garlic bulb and discard. Put the bulb in a small ramekin, drizzle the 2 teaspoons olive oil over the top, and cover with foil. Place on the bottom shelf of the oven. Set the timer for 45 minutes.
• 3 In the meantime, slice off the tops of the peppers, slice in half lengthwise and in half, lengthwise again, so that you have four long pieces of pepper. Lay flesh side down on a baking sheet.
• 4 Place under the broiler/grill until the skins have turned bubbly and black, about 20-30 minutes. The blacker the skin is, the easier it will be to peel them.
• 5 Remove the peppers to a brown paper bag(lunchbag type) or to a bowl covered with cling film, to steam for about 10 minutes.
• 6 Check on the garlic. It should be soft enough for you to sqeeze the pulp out. If not, return to oven for another 5-10 minutes. Squeeze the pulp out into a medium bowl and set aside.
• 7 Remove the peppers from the brown bag or bowl to a cutting board. Carefully peel the blackened skin from the peppers and discard.
• 8 Put the peppers, basil, oregano and salt (and pine nuts, if using) into the bowl with the garlic. Using your fingers, gently mix together until well combined, adding more seasonings to suit your taste. Transfer mixture to jar.
• 9 Pour olive oil over peppers until covered. Place lid on jar and leave to sit about 1-2 hours. Stir peppers and store in fridge for up to 3 weeks. If oil solidifies, remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to consuming.
• 10 Enjoy!