Your kitchen will smell like a fantastic campfire cookout without the smoke -- mild Anaheim chile on the left and pasilla on the right

Summer meals cry out for the sweet, smoky flavor of roasted peppers. They really are easy to make and are far superior to the ones in jars or cans. And if you need one more reason, the sagebrush-y, best-cookout-you-ever-had smell will draw everyone to the kitchen, clamoring for the results.

The directions here are for roasting sweet red, orange and yellow bell peppers and mild chiles like Anaheims and pasillas. Hot peppers require a more cautious approach, which I’ll address in a future post. Though it’s best to start with fresh, unblemished peppers I have been known to “salvage” some rather withered-looking citizens. You’re roasting the skin off, after all. But do toss out peppers that are moldy or mushy. They are beyond saving.

The object is to blister and blacken the skin of the pepper, and there are three ways to accomplish this: gas burner, gas or electric broiler, and gas or charcoal grill. Essential for this task are a set of tongs. I use them to turn the pepper frequently as it roasts. To roast over a gas flame, balance the pepper on the burner grate over medium heat, turning it as it chars. The burner flame will be touching the pepper, as you can see.

Keep rotating the pepper as it blackens

To roast under the broiler, move the oven rack up close to the broiler element. I use a cookie sheet or a piece of foil under the pepper since it will sometimes drip liquid onto the bottom of the oven and I hate to clean that up!

Set the oven rack close to the broiler without jamming the pepper up against it

These peppers are on my little gas grill, which I use like an outdoor oven. When I light my charcoal grill I try to remember to roast a couple of peppers. A good time for that is after the coals are flaming but before they are quite ashy enough to cook over.

Keep rotating the peppers with tongs so that they blacken evenly

There will be the occasional little flare-up as the pepper roasts, but nothing dramatic. Stick around, though, to monitor it unless it’s out on the grill. Keep turning the pepper to char it evenly and all over.

Sometimes the pepper needs to assume a strange angle to blister all over

Nicely roasted under the broiler

Almost there...

This is completely charred, ready to remove from the flame

Once the pepper is completely blackened, remove it from the heat and put it into a paper bag. I use lunch bags, which I happen to have on hand, but you can use any brown paper bag. Close the bag and let the pepper rest for 10 minutes or more.

Shhh, the peppers are resting in their bags

Tear open the bag and lay it flat.

The bag just makes the whole job much easier to clean up

Starting at the stem end and using the back side of a knife, scrape down the length of the pepper to remove the charred skin. Move the black bits away from the pepper so you don’t have to keep scraping them off.

There will be big and small charred bits

Don't worry about getting off every last blackened flake

Move the pepper to a cutting board and throw away the scrapings and brown paper.

These are nearly ready to use

If you are making a dish requiring whole peeled peppers or chiles, such as chile rellenos, make a long slit the length of the pepper to remove the seeds and ribs but leave the stem attached. Here I’m making sliced peppers, so first cut around the top of the pepper and remove the stem.

Cut out the pale rib of the pepper

Next scrape out the seeds and trim off the ribs.

In the pasilla the ribs are stringy

Slice the peppers into strips lengthwise.

Don't worry about leaving a seed or two on the pepper

The roasted peppers have a natural oiliness

To serve with bread or on pasta or pizza, I like to marinate the peppers. Add a few sprinkles of red or balsamic vinegar, a couple of drops of olive oil, chopped fresh herb like rosemary or marjoram, salt and freshly ground pepper. Roasted peppers will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

What's colorful here is also tasty

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