Sweet mild peppers, sometimes referred to as bell peppers or capsicums, are related to chillies.

They are available in a variety of colours, which denotes how ripe the pepper is. Starting with green, it ripens through yellow and orange to red. The red pepper is the sweetest tasting. There are also black or deep purple peppers, which turn green when they are cooked.

Peppers are available all year round, but are better when in season. Choose peppers that are shiny and firm. They can be used in a variety of different ways in baking.

In recipes where the skin needs to be removed first, grill them until blackened and charred, put them in a bowl covered with a plate and leave them to cool before peeling away the skin. They can then be mixed into breads, cornbreads and savoury muffins, put on pizzas and pastries as well as incorporated into vegetarian flans.

They mix very well with tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, olives, Feta cheese, mozzarella and a variety of herbs such as basil, oregano and thyme. Grilled, skinned mixed peppers can be incorporated with cherry tomatoes and ricotta or Feta cheese and herbs onto a cooked pizza or bread base. Cook for a few minutes before drizzling with olive oil.

 

In season: March-October