Our pepper plants in the garden are hanging on for dear life. They’ve lived their season, but it is nearing the end. I was able to get one last red one, and decided to roast it to add to my pasta.
{The small shriveled pepper is from my garden, the large beautiful one is unfortunately from the store.}
To make roasted peppers, you can either do this on the grill, like I did, or in the oven. Turn either on medium high heat, and put the peppers close to the flame. You want the skin to burn. After the entire exterior has been singed (about 7-10 minutes per side), put the peppers in a contain and put cellophane over it so it steams for 10 minutes. (The picture I included above is not cooked long enough–the skin of the pepper should be completely black.) The pepper should then be cool enough where you can peal the burned part off, and the delicious cooked part remains.
To make pesto pasta, boil some penne noodles. Chop up the roasted red pepper, and any of your other favorite Mediterranean additions: a handful of Kalamata olives, a jar of artichoke hearts, a raw green pepper, a cup full of sautéed chicken, and about 4 T of pesto. When the noodles are cooked, add all your chopped goodness, pesto, and stir. Grate some Parmesan cheese over it to serve.
