Cooking With Sweet Peppers

How to Roast Peppers

1. On the Grille - To grill peppers, place them whole over a the flame of a charcoal fire and grill until they are well charred on all sides, about 12 minutes.
2. On Gas Range - To cook on a gas range, cook until well charred on all sides over a medium flame, turning them with tongs, for about 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Under broiler - To broil peppers preheat the broiler. Cut the peppers in half and place them, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Broil until well charred, about 12 minutes.
4. In the oven - Take peppers, slice in half and core. Place them in a roasting pan with 3 cloves of mashed garlic. Pour on 3/4 cup of olive oil over the peppers. 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp marjoram; and add 1/4 cup of madeira mix (optional, 2/3 madeira wine and 1/3 soy sauce); bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours. Can be frozen or stored in the frig for 2 to 3 weeks.
5. If from the grille or broiler, place them in a paper bag and let the peppers steam in the bag for about 10 minutes. This loosens the skins. When roasted peppers (from grille or broiler) are cool enough to handle, rub the skin off with a paper towel or scrape it off with the edge of a paring knife. Cut off the tops, remove the cores and cut the peppers in half. Scrape out the seeds and the ribs.
6. Store in the refrigerator, wrapped in a plastic bag for up to 5 days or cover in olive oil for up to 2 weeks.
Using Roasted Peppers - Use roasted peppers as an appetizer with cream cheese or on crackers with something else. They work in cacciatore, on pizza, (canning???)

Sautee Peppers

Sauteed peppers go with lots of things Sautee peppers in olive oil with medium heat; ideal when still just a little bit crisp. Sautee is the same as stir fry; many stir fry recipes include green or red peppers. Sauteed peppers go with onions, carrots, tomatoes, corn, eggplant, okra, celery, and summer squash. Home fried potatoes are great with peppers and onions. Liver and onions can use some sauteed peppers. Sauteed peppers with mushrooms and onion mixed with sphagheti sauce is a winner. Sauteed peppers go with scrambled eggs or in an omlet. Some folks prefer to sautee peppers just a bit before putting them on the pizza for the final cooking.

Grilled Peppers

Here we deal with simple grilling, rather than roasting on the grill. Clean the pepper and slice it in whatever way suits your taste or interest. If the slices are small, string them on a skewer before grilling. Brush with a little oil or a marinade that contains oil. Grill the peppers directly over moderately hot coals. Try not to char the peppers; the point is to heat them through until they wilt a bit. Take the peppers off the grill while they still have a little crunch to them.

Stuffed Peppers

Many Ways You can stuff whole peppers or half peppers. 1. To prepare a whole pepper, slice off the cap or top of the pep[per, scoop out the seeds, and remove the bitter membrane. 2. To prepare pepper halves, slice the pepper in half vertically and remove the seeds and white membrane. 3. Blanch the peppers in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes until bright green, bright yellow, or bright red and slightly tender. Drain well. Then stuff with your favority filling. 4. After being filled, place the peppers in a baking dish and cover the bottom of the dish with about 1/4 inch of water. Cover the dish lightly with foil and bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the filling. 5. You can brown the topping under the broiler just before serving if have cheese or bread crumbs on it.
Stuffing Ideas Leftover chili; macaroni and cheese, stews, creamed chicken, tuna noodle casserole, poultry stuffing, meat and veggies mixed with cooked rice, etc. Try candied carrots, lima beans in tomato sauce topped with chees, creamed spinach or spanish rice. Topping for stuffed peppers can be grated parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, swiss, or Monterey Jack cheese. Cheese sauce goes great

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