It has been almost six years since I shared the recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Salad, Goat Cheese, and Grilled Bread with you. While many things have remained the same, some things have changed since then. Burrata was a much harder to find cheese back then. Nowadays, you can find this decadent cheese in many grocery stores. And I believed red peppers should be roasted on the grill, not in the oven (at least in my world). While we use our gas grill year round, roasted red peppers were generally made in every season except winter. On occasion, I roasted mini red peppers in the oven, but then sliced and stuffed them with, yes you guessed it, goat cheese. In keeping with my newest trend of simple and jaw dropping recipes comes this Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers, Burrata, and Italian Meats Crostini. Seriously, this may become one of those appetizers going on regular repeat around here. I would even consider turning on the oven on a hot summer day to make this so it become one of those crave worthy four season appetizers.
If you ever needed an excuse to invite some friends over, this Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers, fresh Burrata, and Italian Meats Crostini would be it. If you ever needed an excuse to open up a bottle or two of some really good red wine, this would be it too. Okay, I know, no one ever really needs an excuse to open a bottle of wine.
This one of those incredibly versatile recipes as it can be easily doubled or even tripled. You can serve it with a freshly sliced baguette or you can turn your baguette into crostini. Instead of serving it with mild or hot coppa and prosciutto, serve it with any assortment of your favorite thinly sliced Italian meats. If your friends are vegetarians, don't serve it with any meats at all. You can serve it differently each time you make it or if you have creature of habit tendencies make it the same way again and again. Either way no one will be the least disappointed. Unless of course your wine choice is questionable.
You are definitely going to need a large, heavy, flat bottomed enameled or cast-iron pan to roast the peppers in. The size of your pan will determine how many peppers you can roast at one time. Because your peppers roast in the olive oil, they need to lay flat in the pan. Squeeze as many of them as you can as they will shrink a bit when roasting in the oven. The amount of olive oil used will either slightly decrease or increase depending if you alter the amount of mini sweet peppers listed in the ingredients below. I was able to squeeze in one and half pounds of mini sweet peppers in this pan. For this amount of peppers I used 3/4 cup of olive oil. (Note: As a guideline use a 1/2 pound peppers to 1/4 cup olive oil ratio when making your adjustments).
The mini sweet peppers roast in preheated 400 degree (F) oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until they are slightly charred and tender. Whatever you do, do not throw out the olive oil the peppers roasted in!
To make this an appetizer on the slightly hearty side, I served mine with some thinly sliced mild coppa and prosciutto I bought at my favorite local Italian deli. These two Italian meats happen to be two of my favorites. Serve yours with all of your favorites!
Unlike roasting regular sized red peppers, these mini sweet peppers do not need to be peeled. The entire pepper, including the stem, is edible. I cannot even begin to tell you how incredibly flavorful they are. But think face plant delicious. Or think dance party in your mouth!
Remember I told you not to throw the olive oil the peppers roasted in away? Pour it over the roasted peppers and/or the burrata. Because when all of the peppers and gone, you are definitely going to want to dip your bread into it! Speaking of bread, I used a freshly sliced baguette. Had it not been still too wintery for me, I would have grilled the sliced baguette to further elevate the flavors!
The drizzle of some balsamic glaze is optional, but one I would strongly encourage! It is a great compliment to the oh so sweet flavor of the roasted peppers as well as the burrata.
It's also been awhile since I put anything on the last meal list. So I am going end the hiatus and put the Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers, Burrata, and Italian Meats Crostini on it!!!!
Some say we usually remember the last thing we heard and/or the last thing we ate. If there was ever a rule to be broken then the Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers, Burrata, and Italian Meats Crostini breaks it. Because if this is the first thing you serve to family and/or friends, I promise they will remember this beautiful deliciousness. From the sweetness of the roasted mini peppers, to the creaminess of the burrata, to the flavorfulness of the Italian meats, they might not even remember anything else!
Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers, Burrata, and Italian Meats Crostini
Serves 6, maybe 8
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (681 g) mini-pointed sweet peppers
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 or 3 - 4 ounce (113 g each) balls of burrata
1 baguette sliced on the diagonal (slightly generous 1/4" slices). Note: Freshly sliced, made into crostini or grilled
1/4 pound mild or hot coppa, thinly sliced
1/3 pound prosciutto, very thinly sliced
Balsamic Glaze, for drizzling
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
2. Lay the mini sweet peppers flat in a large, heavy bottomed enameled or cast iron pan.
3. Pour over the olive oil. Sprinkle with the kosher salt.
4. Roast peppers for 50-60 minutes or until the peppers are slightly charred and tender. Remove from oven when done.
5. Place the balls of burrata in the center of the platter.
6. Using tongs, remove the roasted peppers from the baking pan and arrange along one side of the burrata. (See notes below for an alternative arrangement.)
7. Arrange the sliced baguette on the other side of the burrata.
8. Arrange the coppa and prosciutto above and below the burrata.
9. Drizzle some balsamic glaze over the peppers and/or burrata (optional but really good). And/or drizzle some of the olive oil the peppers roasted in over the burrata.
10. Open up a bottle or two of wine and serve the roasted mini sweet peppers warm or at room temperature.
Serving note: (1) The olive oil the peppers roast in is incredibly flavorful. As an alternate presentation, place the balls of burrata in the center of the platter. Surround with the roasted peppers. Pour the roasting olive oil over the peppers. Serve with a sliced baguette, crostini (oven roasted or grilled).
Notes: (1) The roasted mini-sweet peppers are best served warm but are still delicious at room temperature. (2) Adjust the amount of olive and kosher salt slightly if making 2 or more pounds of the peppers. Additionally reduce the amount of olive oil if making only 1 pound of peppers. (3) Serve the baguette freshly sliced, make it into crostini, or grill it!
Barns in Door County, Wisconsin (February 2020)
