How to roast a bell pepper

I did this to my unsuspecting pepper on purpose. You should do it too.

Roasting a pepper is easy-peasy if you have a gas stove like me. The instructions are pretty much “burn the crap out of the pepper, scrape the gross stuff off, eat.” Want a few more details?

	1. Put the pepper directly over a high flame. Have some tongs ready.
	2. Watch as it starts to char a little. This is good! And fun.
	3. Turn the pepper with the tongs as the skin blackens. Don’t grab the pepper by its stem, tempting as it is, because it may break off as the pepper gets tender.
	4. Don’t forget the bottom.
	5. Make sure every part is charred, but don’t go too crazy. This is as roasted as you can get before actually burning the flesh inside.
	6. Wrap in foil and let sit for 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. The steam created in the foil helps the skin slip off easier, so don’t skip this step! You can also put it in a ziplock bag.
	7. Use a knife to cut a circle around the the stem. Pull on the stem to remove the seeds. Make sure the pepper is cooled before attempting this - if the pepper is still piping hot at this point, steam will shoot out and burn you!
	8. Pour out any water that has settled inside the pepper. Use your fingers to slip the skin off. Resist the urge to run it under water. I know it’s messy this way, but it’ll taste better if you simply rub the pepper with your fingers or a paper towel to remove the skin - you want to keep the juices and even a few flecks of char for flavor!
	9. Slice the pepper into four slabs.

So what now? Eat it! Roasted peppers are delicious on sandwiches, blended into hummus, tossed onto pizzas, added to soups, mixed into salads, stirred into pasta sauce… Go nuts. Eat peppers.

Recipe: Broccoli Lentil Soup With Roasted Pepper Coulis (VeganYumYum)
Reference: How to slice a bell pepper (Cookthink)