Sometimes, you want to use up capsicum - as peppers are also called - according to their colour or variety. Whether you have a red bell pepper, a dark green bell pepper, a sweet red pepper or any other kind, there will be a recipe to suit.
- Green Pepper Recipes: Green peppers, with their combination of sweet and bitter aftertastes, are well-balanced and suited to many different recipes. This is why they are often used in curries, for example, since they can bring together disparate tastes. Of course, a green pepper is also an obvious choice for a pizza topping, especially a vegetarian one, where its form will hold even in a hot pizza oven, making it a great veggie meat substitute. Their fresh flavour also makes green bell peppers suited to a number of salads.
- Red Pepper Recipes: Red peppers are preferred in many dishes because they are fully ripe and at their sweetest. If you leave a sweet red pepper without cooking it, it will eventually go off. Red peppers are good for blitzing and adding to soup or for providing more bulk in a sauce. Use them with tomatoes for a vegetarian Bolognese, for example. If you roast red peppers, then they are especially sweet and delicious, particularly when they’ve been drizzled in olive oil.
- Yellow Pepper Recipes: A mildly sweet pepper, yellow capsicums are ideal for salads where there is already a strong flavour you want to balance. For example, a sweeter yellow pepper would be ideal if you are making a leaf salad with rocket or lamb’s lettuce. That said, they’re just as good in Indian cuisine or vegetarian chillis for adding bulk and texture.
- Orange Pepper Recipes: An orange pepper is a green pepper that hasn’t matured sufficiently to turn yellow or red yet. This means that they can still be used in much the same way as a green pepper. Any recipe you see that calls for a green pepper will be suited to an orange pepper. However, its additional ripeness will mean it has a slightly sweeter flavour, albeit one that isn’t as sweet as a sweet red pepper.
