Roasted Red Peppers with Toasted Baguette Rounds

The sweet bell peppers at the grocery store have been so beautiful!  I stuffed a couple of yellow ones last week with Italian sausage, marinara, and cheese.  And then I remembered the roasted red peppers that the Whole Foods Market in Austin used to prepare.  They often served them as vegan sandwich fillings.  And given that many of my team members at Whole Foods were vegetarians or vegans, those sandwiches were usually ordered when we catered lunch from the store for a meeting.

Even though I am a huge carnivore, the WFM marinated roasted red peppers were so yummy that I had no problem forgoing a meat sandwich for their sweet and savory goodness.  What made them remarkable was they were not only delicious, but SO simple to make! So, there I was in the store produce section, eyeing those beautiful red peppers, and I knew just what I was going to make.  Only instead of sandwiches, I decided to make them into little antipasto toast toppers.

Oh, they turned out SO good!  And they were even better the next day.  I made them on Thursday while Steve was on the road, so I had plenty left over.  Last night, Steve asked me to make some Buffalo-style drumettes, which I served with celery sticks and fresh Ranch dip.  And you guess it, with a side of the beautiful roasted red peppers on toasted baguette.  Super yummy dinner!

Serve them as an appetizer, as a party hors d’oeuvre, as a side dish to complement your Mediterranean meal.  You can’t go wrong with these beautiful, luscious red bites of deliciousness.

Let’s make some roasted red peppers with toasted baguette

This, with some salt and pepper, and that’s all you need!  Told you they were simple!

Red pepper flakes are optional, but I really like the extra layer of flavor they bring.

Oops…Sorry.  You need some parsley too.

Start by blackening the peppers on your burner.  If you have an electric stove, you’ll need to broil them.  The trick is to turn them over to get a good char on all sides, including top and bottom.

Then wrap them in tin foil for about 15 minutes for them to sweat.  That will make removing the skin much easier.

After the peppers have steamed in the foil, peel or scrape off the skin and remove the stems, ribs, and seeds.

Slice the peppers about 1/4-inch in width.  Then add them to a bowl to toss with the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and parsley.

Make sure and distribute everything evenly.  Taste for seasoning and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.

At this point you can refrigerate and serve later, even the next day.  They keep very well for up to a week in the refrigerator.  And as I said, they are even better the next day.

When ready to serve, slice a 2-foot fresh baguette into rounds, brush lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Before placing the bread in the oven to toast, remove the marinated roasted red peppers from the refrigerator to come to room temperature.  That will allow the olive oil warm up and become less viscous.

Place the baguette slices on sheet pan and bake in a pre-heated 400° F oven until just crispy on the outside.  I like a nice crispy outside with a nice chewy tooth feel in the center, so I don’t like them heavily toasted.  Mine took about 10 minutes.

When the baguette slices have cooled, top with the luscious toasted red peppers and serve.

Look at that beautiful little package of fresh, tender and crunchy yumminess!  The sweetness of the al-dente pepper, covered with the velvety olive oil, and seasoned with the savory garlic, herbs, and red pepper flakes.  All on top of that crispy, chewy baguette round.  I could eat them all day!

As a matter of fact, I asked Steve to move them away from me at the table last night or I would have polished them all off.  My husband provided the much-needed intervention.  He takes care of me like that.  I’m often calling on him to save me from myself when I know I can’t resist more of something when I know I need to stop.  That’s what you do for each other when you have been married as long as we have!

So, there you have it.  Roasted red peppers on toasted baguette.  It doesn’t get much simpler or more delicious than this, let me tell you.  Make yourself a batch and you’ll see for yourself!

Roasted Red Peppers with Toasted Baguette Rounds

Lori

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 2 dozen portions

Ingredients

  

• 2 large red peppers
• 3 cloves garlic diced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
• 1 2- foot fresh French baguette
• Salt
• Cracked black pepper

Instructions

 

• Turn gas burner on high and place peppers over the flame, turning to blacken on all sides. (Or broil in the top rack on an oven, turning until all sides are blackened.)
• Seal in a tin foil pouch for about 15 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 400° F.
• Meanwhile, slice the baguettes into 1-inch slices. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
• Spread on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake on center rack until just crispy while center is still somewhat chewy. About 10 minutes.
• Remove and allow to cool.
• While the bread cools, peel or scrape the skin from the red peppers and remove the stem, ribs, and seeds.
• Slice the peppers about 1/4-inch in width, and toss in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, and salt and cracked pepper.
• Top the cooled baguette rounds generously with the marinated roasted peppers and serve.

Notes

The marinated roasted red peppers can be prepared hours or a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator until just before serving. Allow to come to room temperature before topping the toasted baguette rounds.