Summer is the time, where juicy, meaty, red peppers are turned into our flavour packed biber salçası, pepper paste  in southern Turkiye. It is a fundamental ingredient in southern Turkish cuisine. In my hometown of Antakya, village women cook huge batches of freshly picked spicy and mild red peppers and spread them out on top of their cloth covered terraces to dry under the hot summer sun, until the peppers dehydrate and turn into this robust, flavour-packed condiment.  I am unable to sun dry my peppers as I live abroad, so I make my own version of red pepper paste at home, cooking them over stove top. It takes a bit of time to make but really is worth it. The homemade version is fragrant, delicious – not as intense as the commercial ones but packed with flavour; fantastic even spread over bread.  Add more chilies if you like it spicier, it also freezes well.

I use pepper paste in so many ways; this robust, vibrant condiment adds richness and adds depth of flavour to sauces, casseroles, salads such as Spicy bulgur wheat salad, Kisir, marinades, dips such as Muhammara.

Here is how I make red pepper paste, biber salcasi. It is also at my cookery book, SEBZE; copies are available worldwide here.

Makes 285 g (10 oz)  

6 firm red (bell) peppers, deseeded and cut into 4 cm (1 1/2 in) chunks

370 ml (13 fl oz/1 1/2 cups) hot water

3 small red chillies (chile peppers), deseeded and finely chopped (use a few more if you like it spicier)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

You will need 320 ml (11 oz) sterilised glass preserving jar with a tight seal

Place the peppers in a wide, heavy pan . Cook over a medium heat, stirring often, for 25 minutes, gently pressing and turning as you stir, until the peppers have begun to break apart and soften and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the chillies and continue stirring over a low-medium heat for a further 10 minutes. By the end of this time the peppers will be cooked and the moisture evaporated. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Place the cooked peppers in a food processor and blend until you have an almost a smooth purée (I like a little texture). Return the puréed peppers to the pan, season with the salt and cook over a low heat for a further 30–35 minutes, stirring continuously, so the purée doesn’t burn, until the juices have evaporated. The purée will shrink by half and turn into a soft paste. Remove from the heat.

Spoon the paste into the prepared glass jar while it is still warm, gently pressing it down and shaking the jar a little to allow it to settle. Top with the olive oil and seal. When cool, place in the refrigerator and use within 2–3 weeks.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem