Roasting and Peeling Bell Peppers: the paper bag trick

Roasted bell peppers lend an attractive, colorful touch to many appetizer plates, such as the typical southern Italian antipasti dishes. But, those gorgeous yellow, green and yellow strips of peperoni arrosto (roasted peppers)—often beautifully seasoned and appealingly presented along with various olives, grilled eggplants and zucchini, and salumi (cured meats)—must be peeled first. Charred and peeled peppers are more digestible and have a great roasted flavor, which is enhanced when you marinate them in extra virgin olive oil, sliced garlic, and parsley or fresh thyme. Roasting and peeling bell peppers is a necessary procedure for antipasti—and can also be used for some pasta and meat dishes; it can be done very simply and painlessly—if you know a few tricks.

Ages ago, when I was eighteen, I left Italy and moved to Bournemouth, England, to learn English; to support myself I found a job working in the kitchen of a small Italian restaurant. I still vividly remember the shocking scene I saw when I showed up for work that first morning: two charred bell peppers smoking away directly on the stove’s flame. I was seriously thinking something was terribly wrong, or that the chef was nuts—or maybe just drunk. But, I was quickly ordered to do some of the very easy and boring tasks of preparing the “line” as it’s called—peeling buckets of onions and potatoes—and I couldn’t see what followed. A few hours later, I was presented with several of those charred peppers. As I was curious, I asked about that bizarre scene when I first walked in and the kind (and perfectly sober) chef patiently explained that that was the best method for eventually peeling peperoni (“bell peppers” in Italian), which he then demonstrated for me. The charred skin flakes off more easily, but nonetheless it is still a very long and laborious task when you’re doing it in large quantities. (Though it would make things go more easily, running water should not be used because it kills the flavor and makes the peppers perish quickly.)          

Later in my life when visiting or working in kitchens all over the world, I saw others using that same method. (Ovens are also used sometimes, but the peperoni risk to become too soft that way.) While working in a restaurant in Berlin, an amazingly strong, adorable woman in her seventies who also worked there taught me a great trick: like the cook in England, she first burned the peppers directly over the flame, turning them until they were totally black—but then she put them in a small paper bag and closed it well. After fifteen minutes or so, she quickly and easily peeled the skins. I was amazed—she just opened the peperoni, eliminated the seeds and peeled them very easily with the help of a damp cloth. Actually, the same principles of this method are the basis for peeling peperoni on a large scale in Italy’s production plants where bell peppers are preserved.