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1
Roast, peel, and seed the peppers as directed above.
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2
Cut the peppers into strips.
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3
Peel the garlic and pound it to a puree in a mortar.
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4
Mix the garlic with the oil and vinegar, combine with the peppers, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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5
Chop the marjoram leaves or cut the basil leaves into ribbons, and add to the peppers.
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6
Let the peppers marinate for a while for the flavors to come together.
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7
Serve as a salad on its own, as part of an antipasto plate, or with garlic croutons.
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8
Roasting and peeling peppers intensifies their natural sweetness and adds smoky, toasty flavors.
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9
They can be oven-roasted or charred over an open flame.
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10
Choose ripe, sweet, thick-fleshed peppers and rub them with olive oil.
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11
Roast them in an earthenware dish or a roasting pan for 30 to 40 minutes in a 400F oven, turning occasionally, until the skins are blistered and pulling away from the flesh.
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12
Remove the peppers from the oven and put them in a paper bag or a closed container so that they steam as they cool down.
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13
Th e steaming helps loosen the skins and makes it easier to slip off the skins with your hands.
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14
When peeled, slit the peppers open and lay them flat, cut side up, on a cutting board.
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15
Cut away the stem ends, and scrape out the membranes and seeds.
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16
Turn over and scrape away any remaining bits of charred skin.
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17
Alternatively, peppers can be roasted over an open flame or under the broiler, or grilled over a hot charcoal fire.
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18
Keep a close eye on them and turn with tongs as the skins blister and blacken.
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19
Let cool, skin, and clean them as above.
