Step 1

Turn your gas burner to medium. Put a bell pepper directly over the flame. Grill, turning around regularly with a pair of tongs, until the pepper is charred and very soft (about 15 minutes or so). You can use more than one gas burner if you like to cook several peppers at once. (Be sure to maintain a safe distance from the heat source).

Step 2

Heat the oven on to 450 degrees F. Arrange the peppers in one single layer on the pan. Roast on the center rack of your heated oven for anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes, turning the peppers around occasionally to make sure they soften and char well on all sides. (You can also choose to broil the peppers, but you’ll want to watch them carefully as they broil).

Step 3

When the peppers are fully roasted, immediately transfer them to a heat-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to trap the steam. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes or so until they are cool enough to handle. This will help you peel them easily.

Step 4

When the peppers are cool enough to handle by hand, uncover the bowl. Handling one pepper at a time, hold from the top (by the stem), poke a small hole to release any liquid from within the peppers. Peel and discard the charred skin(this will be a bit messy). Slice the pepper open and scrape the seeds. Discard the seeds.

Step 5

As an easy appetizer, arrange the sliced peppers on a platter and add some burrata or mozzarella and seasonings of your choice (I used garlic and crushed red pepper flakes). Add some sliced rustic bread to serve along.

Step 6

You can use your roasted peppers immediately. To marinate them for later, slice the roasted and peeled peppers up into strips and put them in a glass jar. Pour some good extra virgin olive oil on top to cover the peppers (I like to add sliced garlic, a pinch of kosher salt, and some crushed pepper flakes for flavor). Seal the jar shut and store in the fridge. They will keep for 1 to 2 weeks.