Roasted Bell Peppers & Mock Chili Powder

Oh the tantalizing taste of roasted peppers! They are so yummy and wonderful to use in recipes in place of regular bell peppers. I am working on Salad dressings as promised and will hopefully post some this week.  In the meantime here is how to make your own roasted peppers and mock Chili powder.  I like to use this chili powder in my salad dressings.  It is time consuming to make but if you make it in bulk and store it in an airtight container you may only need to do this once or twice a year and I promise you it is definitely worth the work.

Roasted Bell Peppers & Chili Powder
Recipe By: Erika Harms

6 bell pepper, any color - I like to use red or orange if I'm making a mock Chili Powder but green ones work great too.

When roasting peppers, you should first wash the peppers and make sure all labels are scraped off.  Then cut each pepper in half and scrape out the seeds.



Place cut side down on a Jelly Roll Pan (cookie sheet with sides).  Place under the broiler in your oven and cook until skin on peppers is blackened and bubbles up.






Remove from the oven and cover the cookie sheet with aluminum foil or I just place another cookie sheet over the top of the peppers.  The steam from the peppers will help make peeling off the skin easier.  Let them sit until they are cool enough to touch.






Peel off the blackened skins.  You may not be able to get all the skin off and this is okay.








Option 1: Cover them in oil, adding some garlic slivers, if desired, and store in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.  The oil from this can also be used to flavor salad dressings or other recipes.






Option 2:  Mock Chili Powder - Cut the peppers into slices as best you can.  Place the peppers on a aluminum foil lined cookie sheet spreading them out evenly with space in between each slice.  Bake in a 200 degree oven until peppers are completely dry.  They will have a leathery texture.  You can also dry them out in a food dehydrator if you have one.  Once the peppers are dry and cool, grind them in a spice grinder or coffee grinder until it is a powder.  Store in an airtight container.  Powder will clump and this is normal.  Just use a utensil to break it up before using in recipes. enjoy.