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Peppers are a great kitchen ingredient commonly found in many traditional cuisines around the world, not just Mediterranean. Peppers are rich in a great many vitamins and antioxidants, including vitamin C, which makes them the perfect choice for all sorts of dishes. They also contain minerals such as potassium and folic acid, as well as plenty of fibre. Red peppers are one of the highest vegetables in lycopene, which has been successfully tested in the prevention of a number of cancers. Last but not least, peppers are also very low in calories.
While you may have mastered popular dishes with peppers, like peperonata, have you discovered a pain-free technique for removing the skin?
For example, did you know you can skin peppers by roasting them in the oven or whacking them under the grill...
Here are some easy techniques for removing the peel:
How to peel peppers
How to peel oven roasted peppers
Roasting peppers in the oven to remove the skin is one of the most commonly used techniques. Simply brush the peppers with extra-virgin olive oil, then place the peppers on a baking paper on a baking sheet and cook in the oven at 280 ° for about 30 minutes. At the end of the cooking time you'll notice the blackened and puffy skin: after leaving the peppers in the closed oven for about ten minutes, pass them under cold water and the peel will come off by itself.
How to peel grilled peppers
Simply place the peppers under a hot grill until the skin blisters and turns partially black. Then, place the peppers in a plastic food bag while still hot. After about 10 minutes, remove the peppers and slip off the skin. This technique can also be done using a flame on the stove or with a blow torch, being very careful not to burn yourself.
Photo: Joakim Wahlander/Flickr.com
How to peel peppers raw
And as a last resort, if you don't have a heat source you can always try using a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. In this case it's not so easy to remove the skin, so it's advisable to cut the pepper in half before you get to work with the peeler.
Not least because they come in so many different colours, peppers are a very versatile vegetable that can be used in a range of dishes, hot and cold. They make a perfect accompaniment to grilled or barbecued meat, such as these lamb, zucchini and pepper kebabs. Or how about this delicious and colourful vegetarian Spanish recipe for potato tortilla with pepper and tomato? Prefer your brunch with a kick? Then this classic huevos rancheros fried egg dish will get your taste buds tingling.
There’s so much diversity in the fruit and vegetable world and it makes cooking with them much easier when you know the right way to prepare each one. Pumpkin and squash have really hard skin and it’s particularly tough to get to the delicious sweet flesh inside – here’s our easy guide. There’s no shortage of ways to get into a kiwi fruit – you can use a knife, a spoon or even a glass. Check out this quick explanation of how best to get into this furry fruit. Finally, this article is packed with hacks to get in to fruit, veg and even eggs.
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