Preparation

Once your peppers are roasted, allow them to cool for about 20 minutes. When you can easily handle them, pull the stems out of the peppers. The stems should come out very easily. Next, lay the peppers on a flat surface like a cutting board and hold down one end of the pepper. You will now peel the peppers noting that the skins should come off fairly easy.

Using your index finger and thumb, hold the pepper in one hand and squeeze the pepper downward using the other hand. This will force the seeds and pulp inside to slide out the bottom. It's like using the end of the toothpaste and getting every last drop. Slice open your peppers and check to see if any membrane or seed remains; you can gently use the knife to remove these. Your peppers are now ready to use.

Usage

Now you have roasted peppers to use in a variety of dishes. If you cook Mexican style foods, these peppers will really add texture and flavor to many of these dishes. You can also toss them into a fresh crisp salad, or blend them into a casserole or stew. Your possibilities are limitless; you are only limited by your imagination.

You can store these roasted peppers for up to a week in the refrigerator in a container. This cook's recommendation is that you only roast enough peppers to use in one day. Since they are so easy to roast, it's better to roast them and use them rather than keep them for any length of time. Happy roasting!