Roasted Peppers, this week’s FFWD recipe, are a versatile, delicious and healthy veg,
This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie recipe choice is Roasted Peppers. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit I’d never roasted peppers before. That’s why I am able to promise that these are the most delicious peppers I’ve ever roasted. Like many of you, I get my roasted peppers from a jar and always have one jar in the fridge with two unopened jars as back-up in the pantry.
Before the fire…..
After roasting my own peppers, adding fresh herbs, garlic cloves and salt/pepper, I promise you this. Jarred roasted peppers will never grace my kitchen again. The technique and process are fun. Granted, it takes time, is messy and heats up your kitchen. I cranked up my oven to 500 degrees F rather than the 425 degrees F suggested by Dorie. (Instead of the oven, in hot weather, use your grill.)
Ready to roast in my 500 degrees F oven
But the rewards are many and plentiful, adding flavor, color and depth to a myriad of dishes. “In France, roasted red peppers slicked with olive oil, sometimes scattered with garlic, and often speckled with herbs are a time-honored bistro dish,” Dorie suggests. “They’re served as a starter with a fork, a knife and plenty of bread.”
Blistered and charred – that’s the look we’re wanting
Dorie serves her peppers as an appetizer with a fork, knife and crusty bread.
Need an alternative? I scoured the Internet and searched through my cookbooks. Here are some other great ideas to pepper-up your menus with this versatile, nutritious vegetable:
1. Red Tomato, Red Onion and Roasted Pepper Relish, an alternative to pickle relish
2. Red Pepper Hummus
3. Deviled Eggs
4. Muhammara – a hot pepper dip which blends roasted peppers, lemon, olive oil, pomegranate and walnuts. (used in Middle Eastern cuisines)
5. Roasted Pepper and Tomato Pasta Sauces, pureed or chunky, regular or meat-based.
6. Topping for Pizza, Bruschetta, Flatbread or Galettes
7. Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Bisque or Gazpacho
8. Fold into pasta or grains for an additional kick.
9. Stir into egg, chicken, tuna and potato salads.
10. Roasted Pepper Puree
11.Serve as an additional filling for fajitas
12. Roasted Pepper Dip (pureed with sour cream, Greek yogurt or cream cheese)
13. Fold into scrambled eggs, frittatas and omelets.
14. Stir into mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes, also), mashed celery root or cauliflower.
15. Add as an additional item to any sandwich.
16. Add to the steaming broth for mussels and shrimp.
17. Add roasted peppers to traditional condiments and side dishes like Ratatouille, Gremolata, Shakshuka, and Harissa (which already uses some roasted red peppers)
18. Add to roasted vegetables like corn, green beans, brussels sprouts, artichokes or zucchini.
19. Use it in your preserved lemons recipes which turns the preserved lemons into a delicious relish.
20. Have I missed anything? Now, it’s your turn.
Check out these food sites where I gleaned these many ideas: here and here and here and here and here. My Colorado friend, Michele, who blogs at Cooking with Michelle, offers many unique recipes. You’ll find Dorie’s version here. Pinterest offers other suggestions. Can’t find a particular recipe? Contact me. I’ll send it your way. Find my colleagues’ roasted peppers on our French Fridays link. As I mention each week, we are an international cooking group having a wonderful time working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table.
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. And, these are duck eggs, fresh from our local farmers market. Another first for me.
Clearly peppers make good photos too….I am dazzled.
Need sunglasses.
Let’s get to those duck eggs first…. salt them! You will be amazed! Jora made them before (but not me! LOL) go get some pointers from her!
Gosh, just look at the awesome colors of those peppers! I worked with only two… 🙁
I am looking to making something with chicken with the balance for a pairing with next FFwD recipe!
Weren’t these crazy easy? I have never made them before either but will be making them again very very soon!
Beautiful, Mary! I think I’ll take your advice and add my leftovers to my next hummus batch 🙂 SO much better than jarred peppers, aren’t they?
The colors are magnificent Mary. You’re so right, there’s almost no comparison to the ones in a jar. I love all of your ideas on how to use the pretty peppers too!
The first recipe I used called for roasting them over your gas burners. It doesn’t heat up the kitchen as much. I prefer the oven now though. They’re great in roast red pepper soup. Yum!
Very nice post, Mary! I make roasted peppers all the time and can’t believe there are so many people that have never roasted a pepper. It must be a Mediterranean thing! Yours look so vibrant and beautiful! I have used them for hummus before, but I am checking out the Muhammuara. It sounds very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
For someone who has never made roasted peppers you sure have a lot of ideas of what to do with them,… some that I’ve never tried. Thanks for the great suggestions.
I love your list of ideas. I’m definitely going to try some of them, though I think I could eat them all up just as they are. I will be making these at home regularly, too.
Gorgeous, gorgeous photos ! You really nailed this first foray into roasted peppers. Yup, no more jar for me either (though I will still take some off Nana’s hands when she makes them…..:) And I loved how you added all those pepper ideas. GENIUS. And very organized. Go you indeed ! Normally I am catching up on recipes but here I had to catch up on some posts and just left comments on the Ina Shrimp and Gateau. You have been busy indeed and I continue to really like this newer blog format of yours – visiting is so fun for content AND format. Kudos.
Looks like you nailed this one on your very first time! I roasted my peppers at 450 because you said 425 wasn’t hot enough. Worked out pretty well. I love your ideas for using up the leftovers, but I will end up using your ideas for another batch because the ones I made for French Fridays is nearly gone. Hope you have an excellent weekend!
Love the post title:) Great ideas for other uses. I use my BBQ grill for all roasted peppers.
I used my peppers in an omelet, and they were delicious. Thanks for all the ideas!
Mary, wonderful post with so many fabulous ideas about using roasted peppers – for some not so unknown reason I did not get around to making these…but I will be cooking along this Friday (hopefully) – school will start on Wednesday, let´s see how things are going by the end of the week.
Thank you so much for your shout-out on FB and your wonderful comment – I certainly appreciate your kindness and your support – this post was more work than I had imagined and I am quite happy that it is finalized.
“See” you soon on FFwD and on FB – hugs and kisses from the girls and me,
Andrea
Hi Mary, Wow! your pictures are absolutely gorgeous, you have some great flavor combinations, thanks for sharing!
Pretty darned good for a first attempt!
I bought my first duck eggs on Saturday – I am not sure what to do with them, but I feel the pressure to make it tasty 🙂
Thanks for all the ideas. I used the grill this time but have usually used the broiler in the past and will probably continue to do so when I’m doing these inside. You have to keep a closer eye on them but they go faster.
Beautiful photos! And thanks for all the wonderful ideas for using roasted peppers. Although our rarely last long enough to need ideas on how to use them!
What a great list! I normally roast the peppers myself when I want to serve them alone (usually as an appetizer, sometimes as a side or part of an antipasto platter) and buy the jar when they’re going into something. I especially love how the pair with eggs–either in an omelet or scrambled eggs–especially when there’s also goat cheese involved.