Imagine how smug you’d be as a capsicum. I’d be unbearable. Having that kind of flavour potential? You’d be lording it about. Roasted, they shrivel and sweeten, bringing instant, luxurious richness. Charred, they become smoky and blistered. Fresh, they’re crisp and flood the mouth with pleasant, bitter juice. And consider the full spectrum! From the mildest bell pepper to the hottest chilli in all their forms: dried and ground into spices, smoked into chipotles, stuffed into kuru dolma, to name a few. While capsicums bear fruit in hot climates, I do think of them as all-weather ingredients, in the same way as onions and garlic. They are so fundamental and dominant in their flavour, as happy simmered to smithereens as they are pickled in giardiniera.
This week, I’m leaning into their heady, end-of-summer pregnancy by roasting them with fennel seeds. The result is something with vague Italian flair that will sit in your fridge, quietly congratulating itself, until you pluck one out for your mortadella and provolone sandwich. Or tangle them through spaghetti with briny olives and tuna. Or serve as an antipasto with that cold bottle of wine you’ve been hankering after opening. You know the one. Why Romanos? Well, they’re less bitter than their bulbous siblings, and sweeter once roasted. Making them at home means you can get them super soft, add your own flavourings, and save a wad of cash.
Some ways to use your silky-sweet pepps:
Roasted Romanos with Fennel Seeds 4 Romano peppers Preheat the oven to 250°C fan. Toss the peppers with the oil, fennel seeds, and a generous pinch of salt, then spread them out on a baking tray. Roast them for around 30 minutes or until blackened all over. Leave them to cool, then pull off their stalks and scrape out the seeds. They can be stored for a good week or two submerged under olive oil in the fridge. Just make sure you keep them covered, as you would anchovies or pesto.
Until next time, Flavour Fans x
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Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Flavour nugget #43: glossy, sweet, fennel seed roasted Romanos
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