Marinaded Peppers with Garlic and Tarragon

This was a great appetizer (with bread and pesto) and very simple to make, although it does need time to just “sit” and soak up the flavor. Mostly cribbed from a Bon Appetit recipe randomly sent through in a daily email blast from Epicurious (again) we’ve added our own little touches to it.

You’ll need x4 red bell peppers (you can also use yellow, or a combination of the two), x2 cloves garlic, 2-3 Tbsp fresh tarragon (roughly chopped), 1/3 c olive oil, 1/3 c white wine vinegar, and salt.

Line a baking sheet with foil and turn on the broiler. Place the whole peppers on the baking sheet and place under the broiler. (Make sure you keep an eye on them! Depending on the broiler it may burn fast.)

Allow the skin to blister and just start to turn black, then rotate, probably about 5-10 mins per side.

Once all of the peppers are blackened and blistered on all sides, remove the baking tray from the oven, turn off the broiler and wrap the tin foil by the corners up into the middle over the blackened peppers forming a large, (mostly) sealed pouch or envelope. Allow the peppers to steam in their own heat for 15 mins.

(Be careful unsealing the peppers, it will be hot and steamy.) Remove the peppers from the foil pouch and carefully remove the stems (by gently pulling on them), skin (by carefully peeling it off) and seeds (by gently scraping with a butter knife or your finger if it is cool enough).

Tear the peppers into 1/2″ thick strips and place into a bowl.

Add thinly sliced garlic, chopped tarragon, olive oil, vinegar and a good grind of salt and gently combine with a wooden spoon.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand (either in the fridge or on the counter, depending on how long you’re leaving it) for up to 4 hours.

Serve with crusty bread and pesto.