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Grill 2 bell peppers, a red & a yellow one till charred. I do it over the flame. Seal them immediately in a ziploc till they cool. Remove the charred skin & wash. Chop fine.
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Take 2 bulbs of garlic wrapped in foil. Bake in oven at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes. Allow to cool & then gently squeeze the insides into a bowl. Mash well with a fork (mashes very easily & becomes smooth), add about 1/2 cup of olive oil & freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
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Both these can be done in advance to save time.
Roasted Garlic & Grilled Peppers Focaccia
Yeast – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 1/2 tsps
Warm water 1 3/4 cups
Flour – 3 cups (+ a little extra if required)
Wholewheat flour – 1 cup
Salt – 1 tsp
Olive oil – 3 tbsps
Roasted garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Mixed Italian herbs – 1tbsp
Roasted chili flakes – 1/2 tsp
Chargrilled red & yellow peppers – 1 heaped tbsp each
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Garlic – 3-4 cloves / sliced
Sea salt – 1 1/2 tsp 
Method:
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In a bowl, stir together yeast, sugar and 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water and proof yeast for 10-15 minutes, or until foamy. Mix in the salt (not sea salt) + roasted garlic paste + herbs + chili flakes.
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Stir in 3 cups of flour + 1 cup of wheat flour + 1 tbsp of olive oil adding as much more flour as necessary to form a soft and slightly sticky dough. Mix in the bell peppers.
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Transfer to a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, and let rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until double in size.
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Knead dough down and press with lightly-oiled hands into 2 well-oiled 8″ round sandwich loaf pans & one slightly smaller one. Let them rise, covered loosely, for 30 minutes.
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Dimple dough with your fingers in places, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over and spread over dough; sprinkle with onions, basil, garlic, a few bits of bell pepper and sea salt.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Bake for 35-40 minutes or until pale golden.
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Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
My twist on Spaghetti all’Aglio Arrostito…Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic & Chargrilled Peppers
as adapted from ‘The Pasta Bible’ by Jeni Wright, pg 164
Spaghetti – 400-500 gms
Roasted garlic paste – all the remaining paste
Chargrilled peppers – of 1 1/2 – 2 peppers / chopped fine
Handful of basil leaves / chopped
Parmesan to serve
Roasted red chili flakes (optional)
Method:
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Cook & drain pasta.
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Toss in the roasted garlic paste + chopped grilled peppers + basil leaves.
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Serve immediately with Parmesan shavings handed separately, focaccia & a salad.
Talking of my dear friend Amy, from Familia Bencomo, ahem, it seems kinda apt to add in this post, that I’ve been given this precious award from the dear girl….blush! It’s the Arte y Pico Award, awarded to bloggers ‘for their creativity, design, interesting material, and who also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language’. I am really really touched; thank you Amy…this means more to me than you can imagine! This is indeed an inspiring award & I’m proud to have got it. I will pass it on to 5 blogs soon.