Bell Pepper Purée Recipes

RED PEPPER PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a roasting pan with enough foil to fold over the top later. Place the peppers in the pan, and roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes. Roast until the peppers collapse, about 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool.
• Working over a bowl to catch the peppers' liquid, remove and discard the core, skin and seeds.
• Place the pepper pulp in a food processor with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and turn on the machine; drizzle the oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine, taste and add additional salt or olive oil, if necessary. Store, well covered, in the refrigerator for several days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

RED PEPPER PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a roasting pan with enough aluminum foil to fold over the top later. Put the bell peppers in the pan and the pan in the oven. Roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes, until they collapse, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven; fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool.
• Working over a bowl, remove the core, skin and seeds from each of the peppers, reserving some of the liquid.
• Put the pepper pulp in a food processor with about two tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add a large pinch of salt and turn on the machine; drizzle the oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine, then taste and add more salt and/or olive oil if necessary. Store, well-covered, in the refrigerator (for several days) or the freezer (up to a month).

BELL PEPPER PURéE

Steps:

• Place the peppers on a sheet of foil on an oven tray under a preheated broiler, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches from the broiler. Turn them until their skins are black and blistered all over. Alternatively-and more easily-roast them in the hottest oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are soft and their skins blistered and blackened, turning them once after 15 minutes.
• To loosen the skins further, put them in a strong plastic bag, twist it shut, and leave for 10 to 15 minutes. Another old way that has the same effect is to put them in a pan with a tight-fitting lid for the same length of time. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them, and remove and discard the stems and seeds.
• Blend the peppers to a purée in the food processor with the garlic, vinegar or lemon juice, chili, cumin, olive oil, and a little salt to taste.
• Put the purée into a serving bowl and mix in the chopped parsley, cilantro, and preserved lemon peel.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PURéE

Steps:

• Puree all ingredients in processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

SPICY RED BELL PEPPER SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the bell peppers, carrots, onions, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir the vegetables until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, rice, thyme, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the rice and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. and cool 30 minutes.
• Blend the cooled soup until smooth using an hand-held immersion blender directly in the pot. Or use a blender, and blend the soup in batches until smooth.

SPICED PEPPER PURéE

Steps:

• adjust a rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Grill or broil the peppers, turning frequently as they blacken, until they collapse, about 15 minutes. Wrap in aluminum foil and let cool.
• Toast cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally and removing from heat when fragrant. Grind to a powder in a coffee or spice grinder.
• When peppers are cool, remove core, skin and all seeds. Place peppers in a food processor with cumin and ginger; add a large pinch of salt and purée. Stop machine, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Store, well covered, in the refrigerator for several days, or the freezer for up to a month. Return to room temperature before serving.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS WITH YELLOW PEPPER PUREE

Steps:

• Keep the peppers whole and roast over an open flame or under a broiler; steam inside a paper bag and peel; see any of the roasted red bell pepper recipes posted on this site for more detailed instructions if needed.
• Core all the peppers, but keep the red ones whole, removing the seeds from the center; set aside.
• Roughly chop the yellow peppers after removing the seeds; puree in a blender with the oil until smooth and emulsified; season with kosher salt and pepper.
• The peppers and puree can be chilled at least 24 hours or serve immediately; spoon the puree onto a serving plate and place a red pepper in the center; sprinkle with sea salt.