PEPPERS

Every green pepper on our farm is allowed to ripen to red, orange, or yellow.

In other words the green and red bell pepper are the same vegetable at different stages of ripeness. Red, orange, and yellow peppers are fully ripe and sweet. Green, chartreuse, chocolate, blue, and purple peppers are underripe. They will eventually turn a bright colour and become sweeter if left on the plant. Like its fellow nightshade, the tomato, the pepper begins to ripen once it reaches full size.

As the pepper ripens, it makes more sugar, more vitamin A and C, and more beta-carotene. Unlike the tomato or pear, its flesh does not soften, but the aroma and flavour improve markedly. A pepper that has begun to ripen on the plant will ripen fully after picking. Keep it at room temperature out of the sun. Eagle (orange) and Beauty Bell (red) have good flavour.

Lovely as bell peppers are, we were bowled over when we discovered the stronger flavour of sweet Italian frying peppers. Try these pointed, thin-fleshed peppers in any sauté or salad. Long Red Marconi and Long Yellow Ringo are good varieties.

The chilli is the most-consumed spice in the world. The sting of capsaicin in chillies prompts the body to release a wave of painkilling endorphins, a natural opiate that turns up in other nice circumstances – like sex. The best antidote to chillies is milk or starch. Alcohol merely increases the absorption of capsaicin.

Aficionados taste many flavours, from citrus to tobacco, but most of us know chillies as mild, hot or scorching. The Scoville heat rating is helpful. The sweet bell pepper rates a 0, while the fearsome Habanero, the hottest pepper in the world, earns a 10. Cayenne, serrano, and jalapeño, three common chillies, are in the lower middle range. Hungarian Wax is a mild pepper that turns slightly hot as it ripens. Generally, the smaller the pepper, the hotter it is. Capsaicin increases with ripeness, so a green cayenne is milder than a red one.

It is easy to control chilli heat in the kitchen. Much of the heat is in the pinkish-white fibres holding the seeds. For a hotter dish, chop the whole chilli; for a milder one, use only the flesh. Cooking also subdues chillies.

SEASON
July to November, often under glass; chillies can grow indoors all year.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Bell peppers: firm, shiny and heavy for their size. Chillies: unblemished and taut, not shrivelled or wrinkly. Like tomatoes, half-red peppers ripen beautifully at room temperature.

STORAGE
To ripen, keep at room temperature, out of the sun. They do not need chilling, but the refrigerator won’t harm ripe peppers.

MAKING THE MOST OF A SURPLUS
Roasted red peppers keep well. Frozen sweet and chilli peppers are fine for winter sauces. Slice, blanch in boiling salted water, and freeze in bags. Finely chop but do not blanch chillies.

LOBSTER & RED PEPPER SALAD

SERVES 2

100 g watercress, untrimmed weight
2 tbsp tarragon, finely chopped
1 tbsp tarragon vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp best olive oil
¼ tsp smooth Dijon mustard
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut in very thin strips
200 g lobster meat
ground cayenne (optional)

ROASTED SWEET PEPPERS


These keep for a week in the fridge and go with anything. The ratio is roughly 1 pepper to 2 cloves of garlic to 1 teaspoon of oil.

1.5 kg large red, yellow, or orange peppers cut in long slices about 2 cm wide
10–12 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in thick slices
50 ml olive oil

FAJITAS WITH ITALIAN FRYING PEPPERS & SALSA


You will never see fajitas in Mexico: they are Tex-Mex, invented by border workers who had some tough meat, and so they marinated it. Ask the butcher to cut the skirt steak in one long flat strip and trim the fat. One person eats 3 small (15 cm) or 2 large (22 cm) flour tortillas. The secret is not to overfill them.

SERVES 4–6

600 g skirt steak
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
75 ml olive oil + extra for sautéing
3–4 limes (or orange juice)
1 long red Italian frying pepper
1 long yellow Italian frying pepper
1 medium red onion
flour tortillas
fresh coriander to garnish

For the salsa
2 quantities of Classic Salsa Cruda (see Tomatoes)

For the spice rub
2 tbsp California chilli powder
2 tbsp pasilla chilli powder
1 tbsp ancho chilli powder
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
or: 7 tbsp all-purpose chilli powder + paprika and oregano

THREE CONDIMENTS FOR CHILLI LOVERS


CHILLI OIL
Finely chop 1 hot fresh red chilli. Keep the seeds and pith if you like the extra heat. Mash it well with about 50 ml oil in a mortar with a pestle until the oil is smooth and orange-yellow. If you use a blender, more oil will be needed. For a finer, clear oil, strain it through muslin and use the bits in a stir-fry.


CHILLI VINEGAR
In Latin America and the American South, there is often a jar of vinegar and chillies on the table for fish, greens, meats, salads, and soups. Put 3 –4 fresh chillies in a jar and cover with wine or cider vinegar. Top up vinegar or chillies as needed. Lasts for weeks.

DRIED CHILLI FLAKES
When chillies are plentiful, buy at least 20. Use thin-fleshed ones such as cayenne, not the fleshier jalapeño. Wash and dry them. With a needle and thread, string them together through the stem and hang them in a dry, warmish place for at least 2 weeks. When they are dry and crispy, snap off the caps. In a food-processor, or in a rough mortar and pestle, grind the chillies until the flakes are the size you want. They keep for months in a jar, but all spices lose potency with age.

PIZZA WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS & ROSEMARY OIL


Topping pizza is so easy, so please-yourself, that it is worth mastering the crust – also simple. Try grilled or roasted courgettes, aubergines, mushrooms, fennel, leeks; wilted spinach and chard are nice too. Add pancetta, toasted pine kernels, basil strips, or chilli flakes.

SERVES 6–8

1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 30-cm Pizza Crust (see Basic Recipes)
10–12 basil leaves
4–5 tbsp Passata (see Tomatoes)
200 g mozzarella (a good packaged brand is fine; the fresh kind packed in water is not necessary)
4 roasted red peppers