Author Topic: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste  (Read 6304 times)

Offline DeejayDebi

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Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« on: September 25, 2010, 04:49:23 AM »
ROASTED RED PEPPERS
4 pounds red peppers (8-10 medium peppers)
1 cup bottled lemon juice 
2 cups white wine vinegar (red works to but tastes a bit different)
1 cup olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, sliced 
1.5 teaspoons sea salt or pickling salt
Sliced onion optional
 
Roast peppers in smoker, oven or over fire. If using an oven place peppers on baking sheet on rack about 7 inches from broiler and turn them often with tongs so that they will blister all over. Let peppers stand in bowl with cover or paper bag until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, core, stem and seeds. 
 
Combine lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and salt in saucepa and heat just to boiling over medium heat. 
A splash of balsalmic goes well too but not to much! <<<< addded today
 
Have 3 sterile pint jars, lids and bands ready. 
 
Pack peppers in the jars and pour the hot marinade over them (only fill jars 3/4 of the way full with peppers). Using a butter knife, pop any air bubbled in the jars. Try to distribute the garlic evenly distributed. Be sure to leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch of headspace (I would recommend 3/4), or the seal might fail. Wipe the rims, put on lids, and screw on bands. 
 
Process the peppers in a waterbath canner for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the water for 5 minutes, then remove to a towel lined counter or cooling rack. Allow to cool, check seals and store in a cool try place for up to 1 year.


To make the Red Pepper paste
soak the peppers in the mixture for about an hour then throw the peppers only in the food processor and turn them into a paste. There will be enough acids to cure the peppers slightly. This is great for adding to soups and sauces and people will wonder where the sweetness comes from.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2012, 12:26:25 AM by DeejayDebi »

Brentsbox

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2010, 09:50:59 AM »
OH, this is awesome.  I have never thought of putting the peppers in my smoker.  I have a pepper roaster that I normally use.  (a wire cage with propane jets that tumbles)  But I love the recipes and the fact that there geared toward canning.   

Im going to pick peppers in just a few more days so i will be trying this out for sure.   Thanks!

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2010, 04:24:26 AM »
The smoker really makes them sweet! I can get about 60 peppers in my Smoke Vault at a time then a quick chill and they peel really easy.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2012, 05:52:36 PM »
Copied this post from my forum on making Red Pepper Paste which I use to add a mild sweetmess to sauces and other foods. Roasted red peppers are amazingly sweet and even more so when smoked.

Last night’s bounty of red peppers - Red Pepper Paste. At least that's what I call it. After the peppers are peeled I put them in the a big bowl of the lemon, vinegar, oil and salt mix and stir them around a bit to get them well coated, then throw them in the blender and puree them. The peppers get just enough of the liquid to help preserve them but not enough to change the wonderful red pepper sweetness.

This all gets used to made soups like red pepper and onion or red pepper and butternut or anything else I have on hand or a few spoons full go into sauces like spaghetti sauce or chili to add a natural sweetness that people love but without adding sugar. Also makes a nice additive to BBQ sauce, hot sauce, salad dressing or even salsa. Use it like a spice it all your foods you'll like it.

There are several cultures that take this one step further and dehydrate it in the sun and make a real dry paste adding spices to make too hot. You'll find this alot in Korean, Ethiopian, Portuguese, Turkish and Thai cooking. I don't do this. I have found it is better for me to leave it plain then I can do whatever I want with it later without be restricted by a predetermined flavor profile. You can always reduce the liquid in a skillet with whatever spices you need as you need it if you choose to.

Here are a few more pictures to help make it clearer what I am doing. It’s really simple just a bit time consuming.
Here are the peppers I canned tonight – 2 coolers full I think it was 59 peppers. I forgot there were 4 more in the fridge I couldn’t fit in the coolers – oh well. I’ll get them tonight with the next batch!



Put them under the broiler, or on your grill turning them so they burn on all sides. If you are doing just a few the flame on the stove top works well but I am doing too many to do that right now.


Don’t be afraid when they char and blister that is what you want. It gets the skin to come away from the peppers so it practically falls off. This is what they look like when they are done. They are very hot so dip your fingers in cold water before touching them are let them cool a bit before touching them. They peel best hot.


The skins will practically fall off by themselves


I just grabbed the skin front h pointed end and see how it pulled right off? I like the separate the peppers into their natural sections kind of like oranges. Most will have 4 or 5 sections depending on how many bumps are on the bottom. Just peel the skin off and wipe away the seeds. I also like to wipe off the white vein as it is bitter in comparison to the fleshy part.


This is what the first cooler looked like when it was done, a nice big bowl of cleaned red peppers.


And this is the end result – 8 pints and 6 ½ pints of red pepper paste. Mmmmmm!


Tomer1

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2012, 08:58:45 PM »
Did you add any acid to the paste or sterilized in a canner? 

zenith1

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2012, 10:10:41 PM »
Deb-that is a fantastic idea. I love love love roasted peppers so I bet this is even a step better. Can't wait to the harvest this year. I am going to speak to the CSA where we get our vegitables and reserve mine now! Tomer- Deb's recipe calls for both lemon juice and white vinegar so the acid is covered. She also is processing the peppers after pack.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2012, 12:25:11 AM »
Tomer - Yep in the begining of the thread recipe included!

1 cup bottled lemon juice 
2 cups white wine vinegar (red works to but tastes a bit different)
1 cup olive oil


BTW guys this is great on a cracker with a bit of basil and cheese! Or add a few tablespoons to your next spaghetti sause or chilli.

anutcanfly

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #7 on: March 17, 2012, 01:19:32 AM »
We were so busy wolfing down stuffed peppers, I forgot to put any aside.  This year I'll remember! Yours look too good to stay out of.  :P

Helen

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2012, 01:44:07 AM »
Yum. That makes me wish for the time when peppers did not make me sick to the stomach.

I am so getting a smoker in 2012.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2012, 03:19:19 AM »
I cook more on my smoker(s) than on my stove and all year long! I even bake in my smokers.

Helen

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2012, 06:24:38 AM »
Now, that is an eye catching statement.... bake in your smoker? I would like more details.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #11 on: March 17, 2012, 06:43:20 PM »
Well my favorite smoker is my Camp Chef Smoke Vault. It is a cabinet 24 x 18 inch smoker with 5 removable grates. It is a propane burner but can be used with or without the propane. I often use propane, charcoal and wood or just charcoal and wood depending on temperature I need.



If I remove a few grates there is plenty of room to bake a few nice tall loaves of bread or a turkey or whatever and if you like pork pies or pot pies they don't get any better than smoked! You mentioned stuffed peppers ... smoke them and they will taste better than they ever have before and meat loaf is to die for! You will never hear "meatloaf again?" ever again. The Camp Chef smoke Vault is called a smoker/oven and rightfully so. I can bake 10- 9 inch pies at a time in there (probably even 15 if I had too) and in the summer the heat stays outside! Keep in mind you don't have to add charcoal or wood if you don't want too. It is the most economically cooker I have ever used a big plus in my book.

Nothing better than a nice rustic loaf of bread with a hint of smoke. Most people don't know that almost anything can be cooked in a smoker, veggies are better, meat is better, breads and pies - apple pie is wonderful! I make my snack mixes (chex and nuts or just nuts), do cheese just about everything in my smokers.

The only thing I don't like as well is meatballs for spaghetti. Smokey flavor just doesn't seem right in spaghetti. The meatballs are fantastic and I love them in a brown gravy but something in my head says - this is not your mothers sauce when I put it in spaghetti. I know it's all in my head - but it's there, so I don't use wood when I am making Itaian meatballs only Sweedish style and I bake about 300 at a time in the smoker and vacpack them to freeze for when I need them.

I also bake 5 large trays of manicotti, stuffed shells, lassagna,baked  Rigatoni or a mix of things whatever for my catering gigs all at once!


Tomer1

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #12 on: March 17, 2012, 10:36:52 PM »
Wow I can only imagine how amazing a smoked crusty sourdough bread might be.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2012, 10:44:41 PM by Tomer1 »

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2012, 12:25:04 AM »
I find my favorites are the breads with fruit in them. Apples, peaches, apricots, oranges are amazing smoked.

Corina

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Re: Deejay's Roased Red Peppers (smoked) and Red Pepper Paste
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2012, 01:33:58 PM »
Oh, I do that too, not the canned ones,but I eat them not use them for cooking with them.
The paste in those jars look amazing, I must try it.
Try throwing some coarse salt on them whe you take them from the grill, and you let them in a bowl to sweat, and the skin will separate from the flesh .