Oh boy sometimes it is soooo difficult to sit in front of my laptop doing my day job, when sneaking through my open front door come to the noises and smells of village life in Abruzzo.

This bright blue morning under the Corno Grande, the pungent sweet smell of newly fire-roasted peppers came licking round the door, making my tummy imagine it was lunchtime rather than 9.30. When it seems the world is in love with those naughty peppers’ enticing smell, you do have to wonder why instead of all those nasty sweet floral candles, somebody doesn’t instead make an oil out of this bewitching caramelised smell, now that would be a feel-good factor candle.

I held out for an hour before the temptation became too great to go look at how roasting a red pepper is really done.

Italia’s Juicy Roasted Peppers Style

10 kg Red Peppers

Heavy Cast-iron Grill

Bunsen Burner like flame & Cradle for the Grill

1 Cutting Table

1 Drying Table

3 Lovely Friends to Take on Each Stage

Method

Add the peppers straight onto the grill.

After no more than 10 minutes remove the blackened peppers.

Leave to cool in a pan

Wipe off the charcoal blistered skins

Top, tail and remove seeds, do not wash otherwise you will lose the smoky flavours

Leave to dry in the sun

Slice & jar with  virgin olive oil or freeze

Author: Sam Dunham

Sam is a very lucky midlife 'mamma' to A who is 13 and juggles working as a freelance SEO copywriter & teaches IGCSEs at Istituo Cristo Re in Rome. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo and 'English in the Woods' initiative.