Peppers from the fruit and vegetable shops in Italy tend to be huge, elongated and irregular: the colours are like sunshine on a plate.
Prep time: 10 minutes, plus 15 minutes resting time | Cooking time: 1 hour
SERVES
Four
INGREDIENTS
2 large red peppers
2 large yellow peppers
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1–2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 canned anchovies (optional)
½ tsp salt (optional – use only if not using the anchovies)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/Gas 7.
Place the peppers on their side on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 45–60 minutes, turning them halfway through, until the skin is blackened and blistered.
Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag, seal tightly and let them sit in their own steam for 10–15 minutes. This will loosen the skin.
Remove the peppers and peel off the skin (this is quite messy). Cut the peppers in half, remove the stalk and seeds and cut the flesh into strips. Transfer to a large flat plate.
Pound the garlic and anchovies or salt in a mortar until you have a paste. If you don’t have a mortar, simply chop everything very finely on a board.
Spoon this mixture over your sunshine peppers, cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator. The longer you leave them (hard, I know), the tastier they become: at least five hours, but ideally overnight.
Serve at room temperature with crusty bread.
Recipe from Gregg’s Italian Family Cookbook by Gregg & Anna Wallace (Mitchell Beazley, £20). Order your copy from books.telegraph.co.uk
