- As many red and yellow bell peppers as desired
- Garlic Confit Oil or extra virgin olive oil as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Thinly sliced or minced fresh garlic to taste (optional)
- Kosher or sea salt to taste
- Stick a sturdy metal skewer into the stem end of a red or yellow bell pepper and place the pepper over and into a direct flame. Let the skin blister and become blackened, turning frequently. When blackened all over, slide it off the skewer directly onto a clean kitchen towel or into a paper lunch bag. Enclose the pepper completely in the towel (or scrunch the bag shut) and let it steam until it becomes tender and cool enough to handle. Repeat for the remaining peppers.
- Alternatively, preheat the broiler with the rack as close as possible to the heating element. Halve the peppers and lay them on a cold broiler pan, skin side up. Broil the peppers until the skins are blackened and blistered, then remove them from the oven and let them cool as described above.
- Unwrap the peppers (they will look somewhat shriveled and feel limp), and rub the blackened skins off, revealing the flesh. If little stubborn bits of the blackened skin bother you, just rinse them off, though this will remove a bit of their smoky flavor. Cut the peppers in half through the stem end (if not already halved), and pull out their veins and seeds. Again, feel free to lightly rinse out any stray seeds; then dry the peppers meticulously and place them in a clean wide-mouth jar or in a sturdy plastic tub. Drizzle the peppers with the garlic oil or olive oil and grind in some black pepper. If serving within 24 hours, you can layer several thinly sliced (or minced) garlic cloves within the halved peppers. If serving that day, keep the peppers at room temperature. If planning to refrigerate, for best flavor, bring the peppers close to room temperature before serving. In a pinch, zap them in the microwave (uncovered) for 30 seconds to 1 minute on high, just to help loosen any congealed oil and to take off their chill. Sprinkle the peppers lightly with kosher salt just before serving.