Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers

A classic Italian Antipasto. Roasted or grilled bell peppers marinated in garlicky oil, vinegar, and parsley. They are a great appetizer, eaten with sourdough bread, or even a great side dish served with BBQ meat.

I am the type of person who associates food with emotions.

I could never eat my favorite dish while I'm sad because it would ruin the memory I associate with it. Comfort food is my happy food. When I'm sad, I usually rather eat sad and tasteless pre-packed food.

The same thing goes with seasonal food. I could never eat ice cream or drink a Spritz in winter. Because I associate them with warm weather, sun, and good feelings, it would ruin them to have them in a cold, sad day.

Marinated roasted bell peppers taste like summer to me. I have memories of eating them on a porch during a summer dinner with the family, or eating them on holiday as a light lunch on the beach. They're fresh, flavorful, aromatic. They are perfect by themselves, with bread or eaten together with meat or fish. The best thing is eating them on your patio, with the smell of BBQ still in the air.

How to Roast or Grill Bell Peppers

The meat of the bell peppers when cooked becomes very soft and with a great smooth texture, although the skin remains dry and unpleasant. One of the great advantages of roasting or grilling peppers is that it makes it easier to peel them while giving them the smoky roasted flavor at the same time.

Simply place the pepper on the barbecue with high heat or in the oven under the broiler until the skin is almost completely charred.

Remove from the heat and place in a covered bowl to steam until it's cooled down. Then, the skin will come off really easily from the peppers.

At this point you can slice them up, remove the seeds and marinate them or use them in other recipes.

Substitutions

Here are the ingredients substitutions you can use:

• Bell Peppers: They are the star of the show but I often use this marinade also with zucchini, onions, eggplants or other roasted veggies. they turn amazing!
• Olive Oil: You can use any other oil of your choice, although olive oil has a particular flavor which also adds a lot to the marinade.
• Vinegar: You can use cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, or other softer kinds of vinegar like rice. I do not suggest to use red wine vinegar as it's too strong.
• Garlic: Feel free to not add the garlic at all if you don't like it. You can add onions instead, or even nothing else.

The Recipe

📖 RECIPE

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