INGREDIENTS

1 kg capsicums*
Olive oil spray, or olive oil
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
3 tsp castor sugar
1 tsp salt

METHOD

Preheat oven to 220C.

Lay whole peppers out on a sheet pan or similar. There's no need to deseed, core etc but if you do choose to do this it does eliminate a bit of mess scooping these out later. 

Spray with a little olive oil (or brush with the merest trace of oil) and roast on an upper shelf in the oven for about 20-30 mins, turning at least twice to ensure they are charred all over. Keep going until your peppers are charred and blistered but ensure they remain juicy and fleshy and don't tip over into 'blasted into oblivion' ie just keep an eye on them.

When charred, transfer the peppers to a large bowl covering it with plastic wrap. Leave the peppers to cool to room temperature. When cool slip the charred skins from the peppers, clearing them of core and seeds at the same time. They should be really easy to peel. Slice each pepper into rough strips about 1-2cm wide. 

Pile them into a glass jar or similar and add the rest of the ingredients. Feel free to add a few fresh basil leaves, a dried chilli, a curl of lemon peel, a squashed garlic clove.

Then store them in the fridge and use with abandon through the summer. It's that simple!

Use them like this:
Pile onto tapenade smeared crostini (adding fresh basil and sliced baby mozzarella is utterly gorgeous)
Toss through hot pasta when you add your fresh tomato sauce
Top pizzas, add to toasties and sandwiches
Add to cold meats and cheeses on your antipasto platters. 

* we like a mix of red and yellow and tend to avoid green but 'you do you'.