You may have noticed an abundance of peppers, both hot and sweet, at the Market. Stock up on them now and you’ll have ways to add sunshine to your meals all winter long. Freeze them, dry them, or roast them for fresh salsas. Saute them or chop them and use them to perk up any dish you desire.
- Peppers freeze beautifully. Just spread them out on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer. When frozen, bag them up and mark with the date.
- They also dry beautifully. You can dry them in your oven on its lowest setting or in a food dehydrator. Or just string them up and let them air dry. Store in an airtight container in the pantry or grind them into pepper flakes.
- An easy way to use peppers is to roast them. You can go with or without onions, garlic, tomatoes, and/or other veggies (like eggplant, squash, cucumber), and blend them for a salsa or a sauce to use in cooking or as a condiment.
- Saute sweet peppers with onions and garlic (mushrooms are good too) and use as an accompaniment to grilled meats for extra flavor and color.
Here’s an easy recipe for roasted bell peppers for use in all sorts of delicious ways.
How to Roast Bell Peppers
recipe from Sonja Overhiser – A Couple Cooks
- Use high heat. Crank up that oven! Roasted bell peppers need an oven temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit to get perfectly tender.
- Cut the peppers and toss with seasonings. Again, strips or quarters make it easy to roast. Toss with olive oil, dried oregano, and salt. It sounds simple, but the flavor that comes out is immense.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes. Roast the peppers until they’re tender…that’s it!
“These Roasted Bell Peppers are so full of flavor, I almost dropped the fork on the first bite. Roasting brings out a sweet and charred flavor in this healthy veggie that’s hard to describe. It’s so unlike it’s flavor raw, it’s like an entirely different vegetable! Roasted bell peppers make a fantastic side dish, or use them as a filling for fajitas, topping for salads, filling for sandwiches, and more.” – Sonja
And here’s a simple hot pepper relish that is also great for grilled foods, eggs, or any Tex-Mex meal.
Hot Pepper Relish
recipe by Mike Hultquist at Chili Pepper Madness
Ingredients:
- 3 cups chopped hot chili peppers – You can use a mix of peppers if you’d like anywhere from mild bells to super hots.
- 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a large pan and heat to medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a light boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer about 25-30 minutes, or until liquid is reduced and absorbed into the mixture.
- Add to a jar and allow to cool.
The author says this is a true chile con queso that her abuelo used to make. The great thing about this recipe is you can play with and adjust it to your taste.
Authentic Chile con Queso
Adapted from a recipe by Melony at All Recipes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 10 large roasted chile peppers, seeded and chopped
- ½ cup shredded queso asadero (white Mexican cheese) or cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- salt to taste
Directions:
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and tomato; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the green chiles; cook for 2 minutes then stir in the cheese and milk. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the cheese has melted.
Cook’s Notes: I used a combination of chicken broth and milk for the liquid. The recipe works as a dip if you make it nice and thick, but more liquid makes a thinner sauce that works well over tacos or enchiladas. I also like to add a little oregano and cumin to taste.
Check out more delicious recipes with peppers from our recipe archive.
