Roasted Bell Peppers, Capers and Taglioni

This dish has no particular story attached to it. Except for I like roasted bell peppers. Just the other day, I begun to fancy roasted bell peppers with capers. This is what I ended up with.

Summer is the best season to toy with bell peppers -or paprika as we call it- as it's not very expensive and the veggies are in good condition. Obviously, bell peppers are not native to Finland, and those grown in greenhouses year around are very expensive. So most of the variety is brought from abroad. Use of bell pepper was quite minimal in Finland until 1960-70's from where it became more widely known and is now an everyday veggie.

I heard a story dating back to early seventies from the more rural parts of Finland. Someone's granpa saw a bell pepper in a store, gave it a good hard long look and after fumbling it a while, placed it into his shopping basket. At home he sat by the table, grabbed his knife and cut a bit off it.  To his astonishment, it wasnt like an apple ,"Gosh, it's hollow!". Then he cut a fine piece off it, chewed and spat out with a grimace. And hurled it away to the wall!

Anyways, I'll stop gabbing and move onto the recipe. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Roasting Bell Peppers

1. Set the oven grill to max. Halve bell peppers, remove stem and seeds. Place them over an oven proof grill. Mine's a dish with a grill, I put some water on the bottom so that juices wont burn and cause smoky smell.  Roast the bell peppers for about 10 minutes or when the peels bubble and turn black. Turn the oven dish around half way as many ovens dont roast evenly.

2. That's the bell peppers roasted. Now cover with a towel and let cool down a bit (but not to get cold).

3. Peel the bell peppers while they are warm, the peel will loosen easily. It may be more sticky at the sides where the peel didnt roast too good but you can leave thin strips of peel intact, if they sit tight.

This is what you should get. Now the bell peppers are ready to use in marinade, salad or a sauce.

Roasted Bell Peppers, Capers and Taglioni

I suggest you make the pasta boil-ready before beginning with the bell peppers. Or you can crank it into ribbons while the bell peppers roast and rest. How to make fresh pasta you can read here. Boil the pasta before making the sauce, drain, put back into kettle and lid on it. Set aside.

Cream used in this recipe is something known in Finland as "cooking cream", lighter, thicker cream-like substance. It doesnt curd if you boil it with salt. This recipe makes for one person.

• 2 roasted bell peppers
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic gloves
• 1 dl cream
• 2-3 tbsp capers
• Oil
• Pepper, pinch of salt

1. Dice onions, cut garlic and cut the bell peppers into fine strips.








2. Saute onions until lightly softened and transparent. Add bell peppers and stir and mix on a medium heat for a few mins. Add the capers and stir for a minute more. Add cream and let lightly simmer until the sauce thickens (a few minutes).





3. Taste for salt, add pepper or some herbs if you like. Mix with pasta on the pan (I use the kettle to allow more vigorous mixing). Garnish and serve!