For a party of 8 to 10, use 4 peppers, and increase amounts of ingredients a little. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Ingredients for Lemon Juice & Extra Virgin Olive Oil Marinade:
3 large peppers (yellow, red, orange)
1 lemon squeezed, or 3-4 TBS lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed with garlic press
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (add more to taste)
Optional – ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this adds a mild level of spice)
Preparation
In a medium mixing bowl, add all ingredients, whisking constantly and vigorously until the vinaigrette is creamy and thoroughly combined or emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt & black pepper.
Move oven rack up close to heating elements, allowing enough space for peppers to fit between rack and burners. Turn oven on hi broil. To catch drippings, place tin foil under rack or a pan. Put peppers on the rack directly under heat leaving the oven door slightly open so the heating element stays on and very hot. Char the skin of the peppers to blackened. Using tongs turn after 5 to 10 minutes to char on each side. Place the blistered peppers in a covered container or in a bowl covered with a plate. Allow to cool until able to handle easily. FYI, you can also char the skin by placing peppers directly over gas flame on the stove or on an outside grill (the grill is my fav), turning to ensure the skins blister evenly.
When cool enough to handle, peel off skin and remove stem and seeds from inside. You may want to use a trickle of running water to clean all seeds and remove skin well. Just a little water, because you don’t want to wash away the flavor.
On a cutting board, slice the roasted peppers into long ¼” thick strips. Place peppers in bowl with marinade and toss. Allow to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning again with salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes.
Drain off most of the marinade, and arrange the marinated peppers in a small serving bowl; garnish with a fine julienne of fresh basil if desired, and serve at room temperature.
Balsamic Vinegar Marinade:
3 large peppers (yellow, red, orange)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp granulated sugar, or to taste
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
½ tsp each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Follow the same directions above.
