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| To match a Russian Feast... Marinated Red Bell Peppers Pertzy Marinovannye yet another 'must' at the appetizer table - I n g r e d i e n t s - Red Bell Peppers - 8, whole and roasted Bell Peppers - Optional - 1 each of the other colors available, green, yellow, and orange Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves, depending on your number of bell peppers, sliced Rice Wine Vinegar - 1 bottle of Seasoned rice wine vinegar (salt and sugar added) Garnish - Optional - T o o l s - Knife, Cutting Board Large Baking Tray, Tongs, Large Bowl, Pyrex Pan with Lid A brightly colored Serving Dish with a lip to it, Serving Tongs - T h e B i g P i c t u r e - This is the way to make your kitchen smell great. Roasting peppers have such an aroma ! Start this process the day before the feast to give the garlic a chance to defuse and infuse. I have suggested using the other colors of bell peppers for the sake of color and to give the cook a chance to see how the other colors react. It is totally up to you to include them or not. This will be enough appetizer for 20+ people. - T h e P e p p e r B a k e - The night before, pre-heat your oven to 400 F. Wash your Bell Peppers and put them whole on a large baking tray. You do not need to spray the tray or the peppers with oil, just pop them into the oven on the top rack. The oven needs to be at least 400 F, so check it with an oven thermometer. Roasting at 425 F is better, but you have to check them more frequently. Start checking the peppers in about 12 minutes, what you are looking for is the pepper blackening. Once that happens to about half the pepper skin, flip them over and continue to blacken them. At the end, the peppers will have collapsed. Take them out and put them in a bowl, cover it with a towel, and let them cool. - T h e P e p p e r P r o c e s s - While you are waiting for the peppers to cool, get your Garlic ready. Peel half the garlic, 3 or 4 cloves, and slice it thinly. Don't crush it or mince it. Take the Pyrex glass pan, and evenly distribute the garlic on the bottom of it. Now once the peppers are cool, peel them. It is a little bit of a tedious task, but keep on going. Remove the stems, veins, and all the seeds. You can now tear the peppers into strips, and place them into the glass pan. Keep on going until all the peppers are in strips. Slice and place the rest of the garlic over the peppers. Then cover everything with Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar. Put the cover on the Pyrex and refrigerate overnight. - T o T h e A p p e t i z e r T a b l e - If you have a beautiful serving plate, you don't really have to garnish this, particularly if you have the different color peppers. Just place the peppers on the plate in an attractive arrangement. Everything running in the same direction is just fine. If you do feel moved to garnish them, try a modest sprinkling of parsley. If you want to add a drizzle of olive oil you can, but it's optional. Take along some serving tongs and don't be late to the party. Recipe by Andy Zaharoff & Bruce H. Rector Next Page |
