In our home, we are garlic fanatics! If a recipe ever calls for 2 cloves of garlic, I am for sure adding 5-6…that’s just the way it is. So if your following any of my recipes, please know you can always scale back on the amount of garlic…it’s probably inflated anyway 🙂
This recipe comes from my older sister, Gordana, who adapted it from an original recipe of Garlicky Roasted Red Peppers, which we all love and frequently make for gatherings. There’s nothing better then the smell of roasting peppers on the grill in the summer. If you haven’t stocked your freezer from the summer grilling season, you can still enjoy these peppers in the winter. I’ll spare you all the stories of how we go out to the farms and get bushels of the perfectly shaped red bell peppers for the original dish and how we spend whole afternoons grilling and peeling our fingers raw. None of that now…here’s the Jalapeño version which my husband loves…and why I started to make them.
Start with some large firm jalapeño peppers.
(That’s a cutting board my son made for me in woods class…love the different colors he used!)
Line a 11X17 sheet pan with foil, spray with oil, and spread the peppers out in one layer.
Place the peppers in a preheated 450* oven to roast.
Bake for 25-30 min turning occasionally until all the sides look charred and roasted.
They should look something like this when you remove them from the oven. For this next step you need to work quickly… so have everything ready to move fast.
Have another pan ready to place all the peepers into and cover. A pan with a heavy lid works best. This step is meant to steam the peppers a bit so they begin to shrivel away from the roasted skins making it easier to peel away the skins. Let them sit for just a while (5min). If you have latex gloves, they will help to keep your fingers from getting hot. If not…do your best to remember NOT to touch your face with your fingers for a while! The spicy part of the peppers are the seeds.
The peppers should still be very warm and you should try to peel quickly. Once the peppers cool, it gets harder to peel away the skins.
Separate the skin, core, stem away from the rest of the pepper flesh.
Start to layer the pepper flesh in the container they will marinate in with the garlic. I like to use one of those freezer containers that have a strong seal lid so the smell will not leak out into the refrigerator.
Time to get the garlic ready!!!
I really can’t tell you how many garlic cloves to use…as you can see…I use a lot! I would say this is were you use your judgement and family preference. Somewhere between 12 and 24 depending on the number & size of peppers you need to cover.
Using a garlic press, crush the garlic and start to alternate layering of jalapeño peppers, garlic, olive oil & a little salt. For each layer, spread the garlic and oil all over the peppers so it all infuses.
Seal the container and let marinate at room temperature first a few hours and then place in refrigerator. Keeps well in the fridge for two weeks.
When you’re ready to serve, layer in a small dish and enjoy! Although they are jalapeño peppers, this dish has just the right amount of bite…if you like it hotter, then when peeling leave more seeds on the peppers.
To make Garlicky Roasted Red Pepper just substitute red bell peppers and follow the same process from roasting to layering. Both recipes are better in the summer when you can grill the peppers. Grilling adds a smoky roasted flavor to the dish.
Ingredients:
thick and meaty Jalapeño peppers
garlic
olive oil
salt
The Culinary Hostess 