Fruit and veg markets in London sell these nice pointy peppers for a pound a bowl in the spring and summer. Marks & Spencers charge £1:89 for a packet of two and I can be found in the refrigerated vegetable aisle, shrieking, ‘How much? HOW MUCH!’
A friend brought me a lovely jar of Greek roasted peppers which I enjoyed so much that once I’d finished them, I decided I needed some more. I thought I’d make my own, partly as it was cheaper. (I’m pretty stingy.) I used five peppers to make a jarful. You can of course use regular bell peppers to make these – just chop them in half and remove the seeds and core.
1 Pre-heat your oven to 210C. While it warms up, wash and dry your peppers. Toss them in some olive oil on a baking tray or in a roasting dish. Roast for 20 minutes (check after 15), until they are wrinkly and charred. (If using bell peppers, roast skin side up.)
2. Allow the peppers to cool, then peel the skins off. A bit like finding the end of a roll of sellotape, find a patch where the pepper skin has worn away and you’ll be able to peel it off quite easily. Remove the green stalk and scoop any seeds out. (There will inevitably be some seeds left inside.)
3. Put the peppers into a standard size jam jar – I got five roasted peppers into this jar. Next, add some oil to fill up the jar. You can use olive oil if you’re feeling fancy or vegetable/sunflower oil if you’re not. Antipasti are often preserved in a mix of vinegar and oil, which helps them keep longer. (‘Auntie Pasty? Who’s Auntie Pasty?’, I can hear my mother saying and laughing.) If not using vinegar, make sure to eat them within a week or two.
Cake By Deva 