The Gourmet Mama

Many moms don´t try their hands at roasting peppers for one of two reasons, a) it sounds difficult and complicated or b) they have picky eaters in the house who wouldn’t touch a pepper with a ten foot pole. I´m here to tell you that neither of these is a valid reason not to roast a pepper!

To tell you the truth, roasting peppers is  a very simple process. There are a number of ways to do it, but I´m going to show you a very simple method that anyone can use and it really doesn´t require that much attention. Then, while you can turn these delicious vegetables into anything, I´ve found that kids are particularly receptive to crackers. My 3 year old calls them Pizza crackers!

How to Roast Peppers

2 large red peppers

oil

tinfoil

I used an aluminum pie pan that I never use for pies to do this, but you can use anything that is relatively thin. Just keep in mind that if you use a cookie sheet or something similar, keep in mind that it won´t be much good after being heated in this manner.

Rub the clean peppers all over with a little oil.

Then place the peppers on a baking sheet, thin frying pan, etc. over high heat.

You will need to turn them every so often. The first turn should result in something like this.

Keep letting them cook (covered with tinfoil to keep in the heat) until the skin is charred. They will look like this.

Now, let the peppers sit for a bit until cooled, chop off the ends and cut them open down the middle. You can now scrape out the seeds and remove all the charred skin. The remaining flesh can be mashed easily or blended in a food processor to make a paste that you can add to just about anything. I´ll be sharing more recipes in upcoming posts on how to use your roasted peppers.

You can freeze the paste, as well and keep it for future use. It will be good for up to six months in the freezer or a week in the fridge.

Roasted Pepper Crackers

Makes about 4 dozen crackers

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 stick margarine

1/4 c. milk

1 c. roasted pepper paste

1.5-2 c. flour (add small amount first, increase if dough is still sticky)

1 Tblsp. of salt plus one pinch

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350º.

Mix flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and garlic powder in a bowl. Use your fingers to crumble the margarine into the flour mixture and break it up until only small bits are left.

Add milk and pepper paste and stir quickly until just mixed. Turn mixture onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Divide in two and roll out to about 1/4″ thickness.

You can use cookie cutters to make cute little crackers, but for these, I wanted a more rustic feel, so I just cut them. Lay the crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake for 15-20 min. or until the desired crunch has been reached.

Store your crackers in an airtight container if you don´t eat them right away.

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