Roasting Chilies and Peppers

Oven roasting: Simply put the chilies on a baking sheet in the oven at about 400° and leave until the skins are blistered. Then remove the blistered skins under cold running water. Although this is the easiest way I do not feel it is the best way. First, it doesn’t develop quite as much flavor as flame roasting does. Second, you are not just blistering the skins, the chilies are also being cooked. Now this is fine for any dish where you don’t mind if the chilies are soft textured. However, in most applications I prefer that the chilies retain a firmer texture. For those applications I prefer flame roasting.

Flame or direct heat roasting: For this method you may use a BBQ or your stove top burner, and yes, you can do it on an electric burner as well as a gas one. I had to roast my chilies and peppers on an electric stove for nearly thirty years. For whatever heat source you use you simply lay the chilies directly over the heat and with a pair of kitchen tongues, turn them frequently to ensure that the skins blister evenly. As soon as you remove the chili or pepper from the heat, wrap it in a cloth or put it in a brown paper bag and let it steam for about 3 or 4 minutes before removing the skin under cold running water.

Be sure however, not to roast more chilies or peppers at any one time than you can peel before they become completely cold. Once they are cold the skin is very hard to remove. Also, do not worry about getting every smidgen of the charred skin off. A bit of the char is what gives the characteristic roasted chili flavor. Chilies that are roasted in this manner still have a good texture and are excellent for using in salads or for putting in a vinaigrette and using as an anti-pasta.

When choosing chilies or peppers for roasting, choose ones that have the fewest convolutions to their surface. If they are too twisted and bumpy it is difficult to get the skins to blister evenly.