I Am A Chef - Enjoying Roasted Peppers

I have so many wonderful memories of my maternal grandmother, Frances Rosso Montalto. She was a fantastic woman, a woman ahead of her times.  The oldest daughter in her family, her parents arranged her marriage at age 16 to my grandfather, ending any dreams she had of furthering her education and becoming a teacher. Yet when she was 54 she went back to school and became a licensed practical nurse, working at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lorain, Ohio in the tonsillectomy ward and later at local nursing homes caring for the elderly who were actually younger than she.  She lived to be 91 years old.  I hope I have been gifted with her genes. I know I have been gifted by her in many other ways.

Frances Rosso Montalto - 1963

She passed on to me so many of her interests and skills.  Like the joy of creating things with my hands when she taught me to crochet at a very young age and I crocheted edging on handkerchiefs.  Like the love of gardening when she taught me to always pinch off the deadhead of a flower so the energy would go into new growth for the plant.  Like the creative art of cooking when she taught me to cook my first recipe... Italian caponata.  Like how to laugh and have fun, when she taught me how to say tongue twisters...her favorite being:

 Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked,
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

I think of this and of her whenever I see, prepare or eat peppers.

So she has been on my mind often these days as we are in pepper season in Southern California.  The glorious colors of the peppers at the Farmers Market are so hard to resist.

I have prepared them many ways but this year my recipe of choice has been Roasted Peppers. 

I only recently began to roast peppers and I went to my fount of knowledge when I am trying to learn a new skill...Youtube...to discover the best way to do so.  I have a gas stove so I opted to roast them right on top of the gas jets.

Once they are completely blackened, I toss them in a paper bag to steam and release the skin.  When they have cooled it is very easy to remove the blackened skin and the seeds.

I prefer to them tear them along their natural lines into thin slices.  Next I blend a few anchovy fillets in about 1/4 cup of olive oil and toss the pepper slices in the oil.  Then I layer the peppers with thin slices of garlic, some fresh oregano leaves and about 2 Tablespoons of capers, some salt and pepper and let them just sit for a while at room temperature to marry the flavors.

Looking at them gracing this lovely Italian ceramic plate recalls the many restaurants in Italy where we were fortunate to enjoy their various antipasti.  Last night I served these with our dinner.  My son, Joe, stopped by on his way home to San Diego from Lompoc to pick up his dog...yes, we dog-sit! So he ate with us and put these peppers on slices of toasted Italian bread as a pepper burschetta.  I have also served them with some Burrata Cheese as a salad.  Then today we joined some friends for a walk along the bluffs and pier in Redondo Beach and I made roasted pepper sandwiches for our picnic lunch.  So simple and so delizioso! 

Grazie, Grandma...you were with me every step of the way!