Simplicity. That’s what this roasted pepper crostini recipe is all about. Three ingredients, my friends. Three! And that’s if you count the olive oil.

It’s about therapy, too. Because there is just something therapeutic about cooking outdoors – in this case, even just the grill on our back deck.

There’s something so calming about having nothing to do but stand still, smell the smoke, and turn pepper after pepper after pepper with my tongs. I love cooking outdoors – the brisk breeze on my face, listening to the birds chirp and the bees hum and, well, okay … there’s also the wiener dog next door that barked the entire time I was making this particular recipe. But my own trusty companion – a glass of crisp white wine – helped a little with that part. Plus, the dog really is kind of cute.

When the publishers of Sunset magazine’s newest cookbook, “The Great Outdoors Cookbook: Adventures in Cooking Under the Open Sky,” sent me a copy to review, I was – quite literally – a happy camper. It’s a photo-filled book packed with incredible ideas for outdoor cooking, from simple meatless recipes all the way to an entire pig roast (so if you’re not fond of things like the latter, you may opt to pass on this one).

As a vegetarian, I skipped the meaty recipes (my guy, on the other hand, will want to dig in) – but there are oh-so many drool-worthy vegetarian recipes I want to try. This recipe for roasted pepper crostini was the very first I bookmarked.

To make it, I bought a variety of peppers ranging from small to large and sweet to hot – bells, pasilla, ancho, and red fresno peppers – about 10 peppers total. Then I cut them into 1 1/2-inch pieces and tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

And then I grilled them.

Yip! Yip! Yip yip YIP!

Sorry. I’m having wiener dog flashbacks.

About 15 minutes over medium heat, with just a couple of flips here and there, was just about right.

After the peppers were charred and soft, I transferred them back to the bowl with the olive oil and covered them with foil. And guess what! There is no peeling the skins with this recipe! It’s totally not needed. Unfussiness – just the way I like it.

Then I brushed some crusty slices of bread with olive oil, and grilled those for a couple of minutes.
Then I just topped the toasty bread with peppers and chowed down.

I uphold that you can totally “chow down” when you’re cooking and eating outdoors. No pinkies up here!

This recipe – and the cookbook – have me super, duper excited for outdoor grilling season. The truth is, I was in a bit of a grilling rut before I started flipping through the book. Now I’m trying to figure out how to find the time to try a bunch of new grilling recipes – and new methods, too. The book runs the gamut from campfires to home fires to inspired fires, and just to show you how thoroughly Sunset’s editors covered every aspect of outdoor cooking, they even have instructions for a DIY pizza oven. (!!!)

Hey hubbbbyyyy! We totally have the room, for one right?!

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And besides, chocolate probably wouldn’t be very good stuffed inside a grilled pepper. But cheese … yes.

In this case, we’ve got four different cheeses: ricotta for body and flavor along with tangy herbed goat cheese, plus Parmesan and mozzarella for that melty goodness. As if grilled peppers all by themselves weren’t divine enough … now I had to go and get obsessed with this amazing cheese-stuffed version.

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Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Reviews & Comments

The Story Behind the Recipe

Last weekend, my favorite girlfriends came over for a “Mamma Mia” night. Really, this just meant lots of greek food and a little ABBA music.

Oh well. As long as we’re laughing, we’re good, I guess. And if these are the chicks I one day will wear purple with, I’d be one happy grandma. (Love you gals!)

We’re doing a good job with our Ten in ’10 goals thus far, but I was thanking my stars for the cheat meal, because I needed it for Mamma Mia night. We had pitas and cheese and olives and veggies and apples and hummus and baklava. Okay, so I guess we were looking pretty healthy, up until the baklava (and the baklava was yummy. Watch for that recipe, along with some tempting photos, tomorrow.)

Pita chips are from heaven. Stacy’s, thank you for making such pure deliciousness. Also, curse you, because I can’t stop eating them.

Print

Kopanisti

A Greek dip made with whipped feta and pepperoncinis. Highly addicting!

Servings 4

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 cups feta cheese 1/2 pound
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers about 6-7 peppers

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend well, adding more olive oil if needed to get the dip to a spreading consistency.
• Add more red pepper flakes or pepperoncini if you’d like a stronger pepper flavor.
• Chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.
• Serve with dippers such as pita chips, pita bread, cucumbers, and/or radishes.

Notes

Originally published January 1, 2010.

Originally posted on The Hazel Bloom January 1, 2010. Updated and posted on Kitchen Treaty January 27, 2013. More about this

The post Kopanisti (Greek Feta & Pepperoncini Spread) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.