roast peppers

sporina

Hi looking for a recipe to make goats cheese crostini.. and on most recipes they talk about roasting peppers - in a way that you can get the skin off etc..

With roast peppers, why do most recipes do this? Roast and then sweat so that the skin comes off?

What is the advantage of that over just roasting them and leaving skin on like the way you would if you were making a roast veg medley.. chop me all up with oil etc and bung in the over for 20 mins..

The other roasting method is long.. and labour intensive?

Triceratops Ballet

I don't know if this is exactly why, but I make roasted red pepper soup regularly and I think the reason you take the skin off is because in the roasting parts of the skin bubble and burn which when you mix it up affects the flavour (I didn't bother peeling them once... never again!)

I just half all the peppers I'm using and instead of drizzling oil on I paint it on with a pastry brush. The heat in the oven separates the skin from the flesh and when they cool down the skin just pulls away really easily

Speedwell

In order to make the flesh sweet and tender and smoky tasting, you have to roast the pepper enough to basically burn the skin. The skin protects the flesh from also blackening, and lends it that smoky flavor. Letting the peppers rest to steam then helps distribute the flavor while you are waiting for them to cool down anyway, and nobody wants to eat burnt skin.

sporina

Speedwell wrote: »

In order to make the flesh sweet and tender and smoky tasting, you have to roast the pepper enough to basically burn the skin. The skin protects the flesh from also blackening, and lends it that smoky flavor. Letting the peppers rest to steam then helps distribute the flavor while you are waiting for them to cool down anyway, and nobody wants to eat burnt skin.

hmm now thats insightful - thanks - and i assume the steaming helps the skin loosen from the flash?

Speedwell

sporina wrote: »

hmm now thats insightful - thanks - and i assume the steaming helps the skin loosen from the flash?

Yup.

sporina

Speedwell wrote: »

Yup.

thanks for that - you sound like you know your stuff..

while i am at to, any nice recipes for goats cheese crostini? to be served warm

groovyg

For roasting peppers I usually put them under the grill until the whole pepper is black. You have to keep turning the pepper until the whole thing is done. Then put it in a bowl cover with clingfilm/tin foil until its cooled down. It doesn't take that long to do. While its cooling down in the bowl you can be preparing other ingredients.

Day Lewin

I first saw this done in Italy, preparing peppers for a salad dish, in which they would be eaten raw, of course.

The cook impaled the pepper on a fork and held it in the flame of an ordinary gas ring on the stove. The skin hissed and blackened, and she waited just a few moments for it to cool down, then scraped the blackened flakes away with her fingers.
Rinse, and use!
(was delicious!)

sporina

katemarch wrote: »

I first saw this done in Italy, preparing peppers for a salad dish, in which they would be eaten raw, of course.

The cook impaled the pepper on a fork and held it in the flame of an ordinary gas ring on the stove. The skin hissed and blackened, and she waited just a few moments for it to cool down, then scraped the blackened flakes away with her fingers.
Rinse, and use!
(was delicious!)

so its no longer "raw"? same effects as with the oven method?

Speedwell

sporina wrote: »

thanks for that - you sound like you know your stuff..

while i am at to, any nice recipes for goats cheese crostini? to be served warm

thanks for the compliment

I just made a tapenade to die for, that would work well. You will need those Greek kalamata black olives or similar, and good olive oil. In a food processor, put a couple handfuls of olives (no pits!), a few sun-dried tomatoes (chopped up a bit), a couple cloves of garlic, a few cubes of hard cheese (Parmesan, Grana Padano, etc.), a handful of nuts (walnuts or pine nuts), two anchovy fillets, a soup spoonful of capers, some crushed red pepper, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Add a few spoonfuls of the olive oil and a splash of lemon juice, and process to a granular paste. If it is too heavy for the food processor, add a spoonful or two more oil. If it seems to need more salt, try grinding in a little of the lemon zest instead (there is enough salt in the recipe, trust me). Pop a dab on your crostini with a little of the goat cheese, and grill until warm.

Speedwell

sporina wrote: »

so its no longer "raw"? same effects as with the oven method?

Yes, but don't rinse... in fact, peel over a bowl to catch the precious juices!

Day Lewin

sporina wrote: »

so its no longer "raw"? same effects as with the oven method?

It was not "cooked" or "roasted" but they were very sweet peppers; and only rinsed enough to get the scorched black bits off. The skin just slips off so there is no loss of juice. The flesh was diced small and used in a chicken salad with thin mayonnaise.

Yes, even in my teens I was a compulsive foodie, I wrote down many of the recipes!

sporina

Speedwell wrote: »

thanks for the compliment

I just made a tapenade to die for, that would work well. You will need those Greek kalamata black olives or similar, and good olive oil. In a food processor, put a couple handfuls of olives (no pits!), a few sun-dried tomatoes (chopped up a bit), a couple cloves of garlic, a few cubes of hard cheese (Parmesan, Grana Padano, etc.), a handful of nuts (walnuts or pine nuts), two anchovy fillets, a soup spoonful of capers, some crushed red pepper, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Add a few spoonfuls of the olive oil and a splash of lemon juice, and process to a granular paste. If it is too heavy for the food processor, add a spoonful or two more oil. If it seems to need more salt, try grinding in a little of the lemon zest instead (there is enough salt in the recipe, trust me). Pop a dab on your crostini with a little of the goat cheese, and grill until warm.

hmm sounds divine..

cool recipe for crostini? wanna make my own..

the shop bought one's are too hard and full of ??

thinking slice a baguette and spread some olive oil on one side, grill both sides lightly, then rub a garlic clove on oiled side?

Speedwell

sporina wrote: »

hmm sounds divine..

cool recipe for crostini? wanna make my own..

the shop bought one's are too hard and full of ??

thinking slice a baguette and spread some olive oil on one side, grill both sides lightly, then rub a garlic clove on oiled side?

That's exactly it, or do both sides. Well done.

Dial Hard

sporina wrote:

thinking slice a baguette and spread some olive oil on one side, grill both sides lightly, then rub a garlic clove on oiled side?

I think breads with more of a robust crumb work better than baguette, like ciabatta or a good crusty cob.

Toast first, then rub with the garlic clove, then oil. Oiling first can make the bread soggy.

sporina

Dial Hard wrote: »

I think breads with more of a robust crumb work better than baguette, like ciabatta or a good crusty cob.

Toast first, then rub with the garlic clove, then oil. Oiling first can make the bread soggy.

surely not when grilled?

huskerdu

sporina wrote: »

surely not when grilled?

Yes, if you oil the bread before grilling it, the oil will soak in, and the bread will be soggy and grilling it will not make it recover.

The best way is as described before - grill the bread, rub with a garlic clove and then drizzle with oil.

sporina

huskerdu wrote: »

Yes, if you oil the bread before grilling it, the oil will soak in, and the bread will be soggy and grilling it will not make it recover.

The best way is as described before - grill the bread, rub with a garlic clove and then drizzle with oil.

tbh i don't like them rock hard - but i won't use much oil - just a brush..

Dial Hard

sporina wrote:

surely not when grilled?

It depends on the bread. If you use something with quite an open crumb like a good ciabatta then the excess oil will drain out and it won't be so much of an issue. But if you use shop-bought baguette from anything other than a really good bakery then the oil will just catch in the bread and yes, you'll be left with a soggy, claggy mess.

I dont like rock hard crostini either (does anyone?), which is why I only toast the bread on one side, generally. Again, it all depends on the quality of your bread and how fresh or otherwise it is. And, of course, what toppings you're using.

sporina

Dial Hard wrote: »

It depends on the bread. If you use something with quite an open crumb like a good ciabatta then the excess oil will drain out and it won't be so much of an issue. But if you use shop-bought baguette from anything other than a really good bakery then the oil will just catch in the bread and yes, you'll be left with a soggy, claggy mess.

I dont like rock hard crostini either (does anyone?), which is why I only toast the bread on one side, generally. Again, it all depends on the quality of your bread and how fresh or otherwise it is. And, of course, what toppings you're using.

i just wanna use goats cheese, roast peppers and pesto or maybe just basil..