I just finished making up a batch of these to bring to my friend’s home for Shabbat. It was her request. This recipe comes from my Moroccan Grandmother, Perla Barchilon, I re-learned how to make it in Israel with my cousin Poussy (this is her nick-name) her name is also Perla. I will put up pictures of my Grandmother Perla and her amazing artwork in the near future. I want to get this last post out before I light candles for Shabbat.

1. bell peppers (an assortment) I recommend at least 5 or 6 peppers
2. pressed garlic 1:1 ratio. The ratio to garlic and peppers should be 1:1. One pepper equals one clove of garlic
3. juice of ½ lemon
4. ¼–½ cup of olive oil
5. Chopped fresh parsley
6. salt and pepper to taste

Use 2 of each kind of bell pepper. You can use green, red, yellow or orange peppers for this. I like to combine a few of each. This dish can be saved and actually gets consumed fairly quickly so it is worth making more than you might eat by yourself. Wash peppers and place in the broiler and forget about them for awhile. When you think of it, open up the broiler and turn them over, until you’ve gotten them blackened on all sides. Some peppers have 3 sides, some have 7, and every pepper is different. This step usually takes about ½ hour or so, sometimes longer. The point is to sear/burn the outside skins, which also cooks the peppers. You can have them pretty close to the open flame. If you don’t have a broiler, you can do this on the stove-top over a gas flame, but it makes a mess of your burner. After the pepper or peppers are blackened, place them in a paper bag or a glass container with a lid and close it up and let it sit on your counter. If you are using the bag, it will leak so don’t put it near something you don’t want to get wet. You can place the bag on a dish if you wish.

After the peppers have cooled a little, you can prepare the dish. Fill a bowl with cold water and have it handy nearby. Place another empty bowl near your cutting area. Take one of the peppers from the bag and start peeling it. Use the cold water bowl to keep your fingers from burning and to wash off the seeds and insides of the peppers. Don’t put the whole pepper in the cold water. The juices from the pepper need to be preserved as much as possible. Once you’ve peeled the pepper (it will usually start to dissolve into sections while you are doing this) make sure you remove the top/stem part. Then slice into very thin strips and place in the clean, empty bowl. Repeat this process with all the peppers. When you’ve got a bowl of slimy, thin strips, drizzle olive oil over them, add the lemon and press the garlic over it all. Add salt and pepper and the parsley to taste and mix it all up. You can serve it warm right away or let it sit for a few hours, but not in the fridge. If you are making it for a different day, take the peppers out of the fridge an hour before serving so they are at room temperature. These peppers will keep for a fairly long time.

Here’s a little Shabbat Flower Sweetness for you. May you have a delicious Sabbath or Weekend or Restful Moment!

©Nicole Barchilon Frank, granddaughter of Perla and Isabelle