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We love full flavor in our meals and one of our tricks to get great flavor without adding sauces or a gazillion spices is to just caramelize onions and peppers. They are both done in the same way, but we have noticed that not many think to caramelize the peppers and not just the onions. So, Cade thought it would be a good idea to share a little how to caramelize peppers post and I entirely agree.
1. Start with a stainless steel pan. Nonstick is fine if you must, but a stainless pan allows those brown bits (fond) to develop on the pan which makes for more flavorful veggies when you scrape it up.
2. Add a little butter, olive oil or combination to the pan and heat it up.
3. Add your sliced peppers to the pan, which will be a huge pile, but don’t worry it will shrink down as you can see.
4.Turn the pan down to medium low and allow to cook, stirring about every 10 minutes until caramelized, about 40-50 minutes.
Tip: Some recipes call for water, alcohol or other liquids, we prefer that caramelized buttery taste so we don’t deglaze, instead we just scrape up the bits as we stir. You may add a little liquid if you’d like.
Lemon Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 Bundle Asparagus, tips for preparing asparagus
- 1/2 Package Pasta
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon, zested in one bowl and juiced in another
- 2 Hardboiled Eggs, chopped (How to Hardboil the Perfect Egg)
- 6 Slices Speck, thin cut, pan fried and drained
- 1/4 Cup Basil, Fresh, chopped
- 1/4-1/3 Cup Parmesan, Fresh, Grated
Instructions
- If you haven't already, snap the ends of the asparagus (see tips above) and place them on the pan.1/2 Bundle Asparagus
- Drizzle with olive oil and toss to evenly coat.
- Place in the oven and roast for 8-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and chop into 1 1/2"-2" pieces.
- Heat a large pot of water over high heat.
- Add a few pinches of salt and once it begins to boil add the pasta.1/2 Package Pasta
- Turn the heat down to medium-high and cook until aldente.
- Drain.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice.1/3 Cup Olive Oil, 1 Lemon
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss with the warm pasta, asparagus and egg.2 Hardboiled Eggs
- Top with crumbled speck, parmesan, lemon zest and basil.6 Slices Speck, 1/4 Cup Basil, 1/4-1/3 Cup Parmesan, 1 Lemon
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I used this for a sweet pointed red pepper. Made a sandwich with olive ciabatta, pastrami, rocket and wholegrain mustard. It is amazing. The richer taste of the pepper really adds a depth that a fresh pepper wouldn’t. Thanks.
Rocket being arugula for those across the pond.
That sounds amazing!
Thank you for info. My neighbor gave me some green peppers from her garden. I had them in my fridge for a day and thought I should do something to keep better. Can’t wait until I make Philly steak sandwiches
Oh!!! And now that’s all I want this weekend. Great idea!
I love caramelized peppers, so sweet! I could probably just eat these out of the pan with a fork! cant wait to load these on sandwiches!
Which is pretty much what I do! haha
Totally gorgeous! I need a few of these on my grilled cheese right now!
If you deglaze the pan with a tablespoon or two of water every so often, you can safely use a higher heat and get the process done in about half the time. The fond dissolves in the water and dries back onto the food, so you get much more flavor on the food and less in the pan, too. Serious Eats tested this with onions, and found them very nearly indistinguishable from traditionally-browned onions.
Interesting. For some reason I’ve always preferred the richer flavor that doesn’t use water. Maybe it’s just my preferences. So glad you commented for others. Thanks!