Roasted Peppers With Capers, Olives and Anchovy
Published Sept. 16, 2020
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 4red bell or other large sweet peppers, such as Corno di Toro
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes
- 1small garlic clove, grated
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 12anchovy fillets, rinsed and blotted
- 1teaspoon capers
- 12black olives
- Basil leaves, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
98 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 534 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Roast the peppers: Place each pepper directly on the flames of a stovetop burner or under the broiler as close to the flames as possible. (Alternatively, place the pepper on a hot charcoal or gas grill.) Turning frequently with tongs, allow the skin to blacken and blister all over; About 10 minutes should suffice. Remove from flames, and leave to rest on a plate until cool enough to handle. Ideally, you should cook all the peppers at once rather than one at a time.
- Step 2
Cut the roasted pepper in half lengthwise. Using a small knife, scrape away and discard seeds. Turn over and scrape away the blackened skin. Wipe with a paper towel, if necessary. Do not rinse — a little char is fine. Leave the pepper halves in one piece or cut into strips ¾-inch wide. Place in a small bowl, toss with salt and pepper, red-pepper flakes, garlic and a little olive oil. Leave to marinate at least 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Lay pepper halves or strips flat on a plate and add 3 or 4 anchovy fillets per serving. Garnish with a few capers and olives. Sprinkle with a little more salt and olive oil, and scatter basil leaves over the top.
Private Notes
Comments
Peppers can be prepped in advance and frozen. They keep beautifully for a very long time in an air-tight container in a very cold freezer. They can be used later for nearly any recipe that calls for roasted red peppers. I buy them in large quantity when there's a particularly good sale, do the drudge work, and I'm always ready. I usually do about 20 at a time as that's what I can fit on my grill.
For those with no grill and an electric stove, here's a variation, learned from my mother. Halve and core the peppers. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 just until the skins wrinkle. Turn on the broiler and let the skins blacken somewhat. Allow them to cool, and lift off the skins. They will continue to soften as they cool, so take care not to overcook them. The whole process takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The skins come off very easily.
Being faced with an abundance of peppers from a CSA share, I roasted enough to make this dish two days in a row. On day one, I followed the recipe exactly and marinated the peppers for the ten minutes given as the minimum marination time. On day two, I marinated them for about 40 minutes and drizzled on a little balsamic vinegar at the end. The difference was astonishing, turning the final dish from a decent way to use up excess peppers to something I look forward to making and eating again.
My mother in law makes these, with the additional step of letting them sit in vinegar over night, and then takes them out and places them in a container with EVOO, anchovies, garlic and capers. This can keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
If I have leftover peppers when I roast/blacken them, I try to use them as soon as possible from the fridge. I have tried freezing them at 0F and 10F, and after a month I am not happy with the results. I roast in oven unless I am doing 2 or 3, then put them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for about 25 minutes or until they are cool - really easy to remove the skins, they slip right off. I always wear nitrile gloves when doing this, especially for "hot" peppers.
Added balsamic vinegar as other recommended. Made into a salad by adding freshly picked lettuce and chickpeas. Will try marinating it longer next time.