Ingredient: Peppers- red, green and yellow
Category: Herbs, Spices & Seasoning
Season: All
Once an exotic import from the Mediterranean, now an everyday, ever-available staple,
Peppers actually come in many colours, however, red, green and yellow are the most widely available.
When peppers are grown, they begin green, when left on the stalks to mature, results in red peppers, which have a sweeter flesh (best for eating raw or when lightly cooked).
The green peppers have a special character of their own, a sharper, more robust flavour, which stands up to long, slow cooking.
Note! that certain cuisines, such as Cajun and Creole, only ever include green peppers in their recipes.
Yellow peppers are more like red in flavour, and their golden-yellow colour, looks very pretty in certain dishes
To prepare peppers:
Slice the top off the pepper, including the stalk, then with the tip of a small knife, scrape out the seeds and core.
Now slice the pepper into quarters, and again, using the tip of the knife, slice away any very white, pithy bits.
Now slice or chop according to the recipe.
If the recipe calls for finely chopped pepper, you can use the round lid bit around the stalk and chop that, too.
To cook peppers:
To peel or not to peel is up to the individual taste.
They can be sautéed, stir-fried in strips till blackened at the edges and tender, or
oven-roasted, sprinkled firstly with olive oil and seasoning,
then placed in the oven at gas mark 8, 450 F (230 C) for 30-40 minutes. |