Simple. Easy. Yummy. Just not so quick.
We like peppers – well, Rich likes the red, yellow and orange ones; green, not so much – so I normally use them in salads or add them to sautés (Rich isn’t a huge fan of them stuffed). Yesterday, I found myself staring at three rather large peppers slowly getting old in the fridge and wondering what the heck to do with them; then I recalled a small jar of goodness we bought somewhere a few years ago – roasted sweet peppers in balsamic vinegar – tender, tasty, and as good on their own as they were added to salads or sammiches.
Well, all praise da Google.
Key in ‘balsamic roasted peppers’ and you get an impressive list of suggestions, but this one from Kake’s Vegan Cookery looked closest to that little jar of perfection. AND – you don’t have to do any tedious pepper peeling.
INGREDIENTS
•4 bell peppers, deseeded and cut into quarters
•8 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
•1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or more – eyeball it (I splurged and used some aged 25 year old)
Combine the peppers and garlic in a bowl and toss with the balsamic vinegar.
Turn into a small ovenproof dish, tucking the garlic cloves in amongst the pieces, and pour over any vinegar remaining in the bowl. Don’t worry about crowding the peppers, they’ll shrink up a bit as they cook.
Roast in a 350º oven for 90 minutes, stirring once or twice.
You can serve these hot, or as I did at room temperature, as a side dish. You can also, as I plan to, save the leftovers to add to salads or sammiches or whatever else you think needs a little something extra (I’m thinking an antipasto platter would be pretty darned nice). I also plan on stocking up on peppers the next time I see a good special and making a ton to keep on hand.