Last Friday I canned Roasted Sweet Italian Peppers Marinated in Olive Oil and Vinegar. It was fairly labor intensive, but fun, and resulted in what I think will be some tasty little morsels of peppery goodness that can be used to add to spaghetti sauce, put on sandwiches or in salads, or as a part of an antipasto tray. I say "think" because Dave, Ann, and I tried them before they went into the jars and they were delicious, but will have to wait 2 weeks to taste the final product.
I had not heard of Sweet Italian Peppers until this summer... turns out they are very good... Much more flavorful than a standard green pepper and not quite as sweet as a red pepper.
The first step was to thoroughly wash the peppers. Our's happened to be covered in dirt from a recent rainfall so it took some soaking and scrubbing to ensure the area around the stem was clean.
Then came putting them on a hot grill to char the skin which adds delicious flavor and enables you to peel the peppers. For ideal peeling you want the skins to be mostly black, but not overly charred.... I did two rounds; The first could have been left on a little longer and the second a little shorter. So, next year should be just right!Once they're ready, you take them off the grill and put them in paper bag, or covered casserole for at least 20 minutes; This makes the peeling fairly simple. The recipe I followed gave great instructions, however, I did not perfect the washcloth technique and just resorted to using my fingers and a knife for peeling.
It was a beautiful Fall evening complete with New Belgium Hoptoberfest which made the grilling, peeling, and canning particularly enjoyable. After a couple of hours of peeling, it was time to cut the peppers into large bite size pieces, pack the jars with the peppers, a couple cloves of garlic and some fresh basil. Then came pouring a hot mixture of olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and red chili pepper flakes in each jar to fill it 1/2 inch from the top (you can get the specific measurement in the recipe I provided in the link above). The jars were processed in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes since we live above 6000 feet. I'm thankful to report that all the jars sealed successfully!
And here is the finish product!
One of the most amazing parts of this process was that I started with about 20 pounds, or about 40 peppers, which resulted in just 7, pint jars of the final product.
I also pickled 25 pounds of beets on Sunday, but will save that fusha goodness for another day.
One of the most amazing parts of this process was that I started with about 20 pounds, or about 40 peppers, which resulted in just 7, pint jars of the final product.
I also pickled 25 pounds of beets on Sunday, but will save that fusha goodness for another day.
