Peperoni Arrostiti (Grilled Capsicum)
This features often in ours and my in-laws’ households, especially in the summer and when grilled bistecca (Florentine style T-bone steak) is on the menu. We almost always use yellow capsicum (bell pepper), occasionally red but never green (green capsicums are the least ripe so they are less sweet and slightly more bitter; red peppers are the sweetest and yellow are the ‘just right’ peppers for this, falling wonderfully in between).
The Italian verb arrostire means to roast, but it also means to cook over a live fire, which is the best way to prepare these peppers, as they take on extra flavour when they come in contact with the fire. If you’re already grilling meat such as a bistecca over the fire, it makes sense to use the same method to cook these whole peppers, perhaps at that point when the fire is too hot and the flames too high for the bistecca, which fares better over hot coals. If you don’t have a fireplace (or don’t fancy lighting it during a sweltering Italian summer), you can also cook these over a barbecue outdoors or directly on the gas hob.
Ingredients 5
2 yellow capsicum, large, rinsed, dried
1 ‒ 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 ‒ 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
fresh mint (basil leaves), to serve, optional
salt and pepper
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Method 5
Rinse and dry the and keep them perfectly whole.
Blacken the skins of the evenly by placing directly over the flames of a fire, barbecue or gas hob (place the peppers directly on the hobs over a high heat) and turn carefully and regularly with a pair of long tongs for about 20 minutes. You want to make sure you get the skins of the peppers completely and entirely roasted black. Sometimes you may have to hold the vegetable with tongs directly over the flame to roast the hard-to-reach spots.
Once blackened, place the hot in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, or pop them in a zip-lock bag and leave them to sweat for 10 minutes or so, or until cool enough to handle.
Remove the skin (all traces of it). I find this easiest under a gentle, steady stream of cool water from the tap. While there, pull out the stem and the seeds and open up the . Once peeled and cleaned of seeds, pat dry with paper towels and cut or tear into long strips. Place in a bowl and dress with , , salt and pepper to taste, tossing everything together to coat evenly.
Serve warm, cool or at room temperature. These keep very well for several days in an airtight container in the fridge (the flavours just seem to get better the longer you leave them to linger). Just before serving, you can add some fresh mint or basil leaves, if you like.
Emiko Davies' tips
These keep very well for several days in an airtight container in the fridge (the flavours just seem to get better the longer you leave them to linger).
