Melted-Pepper Spread Recipe (2024)

I used only one large Vidalia onion and 2 large red peppers, but as written. I haven’t even let it cool yet and I can’t stop "tasting"! And the house smells fantastic! I am going to serve it for lunch on top of chèvre on rustic sourdough loaf.

What about the pepper skins? Do they melt?

I roast the onions and red peppers drizzled with just a few drops of olive oil on a parchment lined baking sheet in the oven at 350-375 F. for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Same delicious results, much less fat.

I've been making similar for years. I like to cook everything down with the addition of a bay leaf or two and prefer sherry vinegar to red wine vinegar. Chopped up anchovy stuffed green olives are a heavenly addition!

Excellent taste but these times are way off...45 min in and they still need more time to get spreadable!

I needed to double this, so it took quite a while to cook, but I planned for that. Absolutely delicious! Added a bit more vinegar. I run a B&B, using the melted pepper toast recipe (I am using a chevre and ricotta blend and have already whipped it together). Going to top it all with pancetta and serve it with heavy cream scrambled eggs and asparagus.

I've made a similar dish for years. It's just a riff on the Italian peppers and onions you'll find at any street fair. Pair with grilled sausage on bread for instance. It's a great side dish for most meat.

I've never encountered peppers and onion at a street festival that are spreadable.

There is nothing new here. It's called fried peppers & onions. It has been made for eons by gardening families who need to use up the summer's bounty.

Onions were over cooked and peppers undercooked when I followed recipe as is. Next time I’ll add peppers to onions from the very beginning.

Balkan countries and Eastern Europe celebrate AJVAR as an every-day essential food. Lots of recipes to blend and learn from.

Sounds great but not the same dish.This recipe produces a rich, slowly caramelized "confit" of the peppers and onions that wrap the rendered juices back into the spread. Very much like a Balkan Pindjur or Ajvar.Roasted onions and peppers (though tasty) are a very different thing.

I would like to be eating breakfast at your house tomorrow morning!

I agree, took well over an hour, closer to an hour and a half. I make caramelized onions frequently and that is an hour long process at least.

If it's taking to long to get soft, turn up your heat a bit under the pan but watch it carefully. I noticed some of my peppers cooked faster than others. Think it was because some were fresher than others Don't add garlic till just a minute or so before you add the vinegar and thyme. Followed someone else's idea and did a combination of red wine vinegar with a little bit of balsamic. Delicious.

I just discovered this awesome recipe Sept 2023 when we had a bumper crop of bell peppers. I've lost track of how many times I've made it! With such an abundance I measure 4 cups of pepper strips to the recipe. It does take longer to cook it down to 'jammy' though. Wonderful on fresh pumpkin-mac&cheese, pizza, plain on a spoon! Experimenting with freezing small amounts in SouperCubes.

Following previous comments, I use a spiralizer to slice peppers and onions thinly. I found a good technique for bell peppers in Ali Maffucci's book "Inspiralize Everything": "Using a small pairing knife, carefully slice just around the stem and remove it entirely, pulling out the seeded middle that's attached. Then...release any remaining seeds. ...Attach the handle to the widest part of the bell pepper (the top, where the stem was sliced off)." They cook evenly.

It's really important to make sure that the peppers are sliced very thinly. Some of mine got to the melting stage, but not all. No issue with the onions. I never did get liquid collecting in the pan. The recipe is simple, but the technique matters

Great and simple recipe. I will say that 10 minutes to cook down the peppers is a bit of an underestimation, although I could be cooking them slower than intended.

I doubled the recipe using a 15-inch cast iron skillet. I then deglazed the pan using sherry and added to resulting syrup to the finished product to add a bit of depth and sweetness. Great recipe.

If you want to go the “spread plus toast equals lunch” route, I like to smear it on generously — three or four tablespoons per slice of toast — and add a handful of diced, seared Italian sausage and Parmesan shaved on with a vegetable peeler. Or I’ll layer on some smoked whitefish or tuna salad, toasted slivered almonds and some dots of sriracha. For a sleeper hit, try it with some well-roasted wedges of fennel and a few orange segments. Or ricotta and fresh mint.

But if you want to go the “spread plus toast equals lunch” route, I like to smear it on generously — three or four tablespoons per slice of toast — and add a handful of diced, seared Italian sausage and Parmesan shaved on with a vegetable peeler. Or I’ll layer on some smoked whitefish or tuna salad, toasted slivered almonds and some dots of sriracha. For a sleeper hit, try it with some well-roasted wedges of fennel and a few orange segments.

I grew up eating more typical Italian fried pepper variations, and this one is quite different from those. It is much richer and more intense and absolutely delicious! I did use home grown red Carmen peppers instead of bell peppers. I was worried when I saw the skins accumulating, but I didn't notice them at all while eating.

Two thumbs up to the sherry vinegar suggestions. The first time I made this (as written), I used it in lasagna, with sausage and a roasted red pepper sauce, and got rave reviews. This time, I cooked it longer, swapped the vinegar, and plan to use spread it on a pizza with sausage and an Italian cheese blend.I heard Francis Lam call it shmoo on The Splendid Table, so that’s what I call it now.

I just made this and thought that the peppers should be skinned before cooking with the onions. Maybe roast whole briefly then steam in a paper bag to remove skins easily. That way it takes less time to soften each ingredient. A bit of capers is a nice addition to brighten up the final flavor.

I used the thinnest option for my food processor for onions and peppers and it still took me 50 min. Tasty—husband and I liked it a lot, 12 year old ate a sample but opted not to have it on bread with ricotta and basil and 10 year old didn’t sample it at all. More for us with pizza tomorrow!

Delicious. My change would be to add the peppers and onions at the same time. By the time my peppers were spreadable, the onions were burnt or close to. A quick blitz in the food processor or with an immersion blender certainly doesn't hurt, either. I like a little spice, so I might add red chili flakes or half a minced jalapeno next time.

This is one of my favorite dishes. I always double the red wine vinegar and sometimes add an extra pepper or two.

We subbed balsamic for the wine vinegar — delish! Great on grilled bread rubbed with tomatoes.