How to cook Peppers

Peppers are super-versatile; finely slice and add to salads, dice and sauté with onion as the base for stews and ragùs, or keep them whole and stuff before roasting. They are sweet and good to eat raw, too – especially dipped in homemade houmous. Try roasting peppers with other nightshade veggies, such as chillies and tomatoes, or adding them to curries, lasagne, pasta dishes and stir-fries. They also add a great bit of crunch to salads.

READ: Vegan chilli-stuffed peppers

WHAT ARE PEPPERS?

Peppers are a member of the nightshade family, along with chillies, tomatoes and aubergines. Although peppers are often eaten like vegetables, because they have seeds they are actually classified as a fruit. Yellow and orange peppers are grown from special varieties of seed. Although they share the same name, peppers are not related to the plant that produces black peppercorns.

WHEN ARE PEPPERS IN SEASON?

Peppers are in season from May to September, but you can also get preserved jarred peppers, which are available all the time.

HOW TO STORE PEPPERS

Peppers should be stored in the fridge. Use them while they are still firm and shiny for maximum sweetness and crunch.

What are the health benefits?

Red, yellow or green peppers are all high in vitamin C, which helps to keep our immune system working properly so that we can fight illness and flu. Peppers also contain vitamin B6, which helps us use and store the energy we get from protein and carbohydrates. Half a pepper counts as one of your 5-a-day (one portion of veg or fruit is 80g raw weight).