I was out getting stone ground flour for my sourdough bread and saw a basket full of red peppers. They were not on my list of things to get, but decided to toss them in the basket regardless. I was planning on making a custard later today. One thing led to another and here I was smoking these red peppers to get the maximum flavour out of them or into them as the case may be. The smokiness from the charring and the smoked paprika elevate the red pepper to an intense flavour that I was looking for. I decided this smoked red pepper purée would be the star in my Smoked Red Pepper Custards. Ideas are born every day… now to get that custard on the go
Smoked red pepper purée
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Wash peppers and place them on the flame of a gas hob
- Turn the peppers to ensure an even char of skin. This will take about 10 minutes
- Place charred peppers in a plastic bag or tupperware container and seal to ensure the steam is trapped. This helps the peppers to sweat and allows easy removal of charred skin. Allow to stand for 10 minutes
- Remove the charred skin and seed and core.
- Place the peppers in a blender with salt, paprika and garlic and blitz on high speed until a smooth paste has formed. Bottle and store in the fridge until needed. This makes about 300g of Smoked Red Pepper Purée
Notes
This sauce is a perfect base for soup, pasta or pizza.