Roasted Bell Peppers

The good thing about Italian food is that most of the dishes are simple and easy to prepare. As a child grown up in the countryside I learned that you can make a great meal out of few ingredients: what really matters is their quality. And when you plant and grow your own food, it tastes even better.

Among the many healthy and delicious vegetables that my parent used to plant in our garden, bell peppers have always been one of my favorite choice: they are one of the most versatile ingredient in the kitchen.

They can be found in different colors, green, yellow, orange, red, making them perfect to enhance the chromatic value of the dish: we all know we eat with eyes first. Bell peppers however are not only good for the eye but also for the health, being rich in vitamins and minerals. And, most importantly, they have such a nice taste and can be cooked in so many different ways: sliced or diced in salads, sauteed with onion, grilled, stuffed. You are just spoiled for choice.

This time I decided to prepare some roasted bell peppers: they can be a delicious starter, a mouthwatering snack together with Greek yogurt dressing on sliced toasted bread or with potato focaccia, a colorful and tasty side dish for a meat course.

Ingredients

• 6 bell peppers
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• 1 tsp capers
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• Fresh mint (or oregano)

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lay the peppers on their side on a non-stick baking tray and put it in the oven. Let them roast for about 20 minutes. Give the peppers a half turn and keep roasting for another 20 minutes. Turn them again and keep cooking them for another 15/20 minutes to get a nicely charred surface on all sides. Check if they are ready: the bell peppers should be soft.

Take the tray out of the oven and cover it with some foil while they cool down, this will make them easier to peel. When they are cold enough, remove the stem, peel and deseed the bell peppers and cut them into stripes.

Add salt, olive oil, capers, garlic and fresh mint to season.