Hot Strips of Sweet Pepper in a Waffle Iron
My waffle iron is a tool for chaotic goodness, but I rarely use it to craft something technically useful to me. It’s not really my aesthetic. However, there are rare times when something I want to eat provides some kind of nourishment.
This is the case with waffle bell peppers. These bubble strips, somewhere between fried and fried, work well for salads, sandwiches, tacos, and (obviously) fajita-inspired dishes. (I say “inspired by fajita” because if you are making real fajitas there is no reason to smudge the waffle iron in addition to the hot skillet.)
Direct heating of the waffle iron makes the strips of pepper sweet, soft, and burns them in about four minutes. You can drizzle a little oil on the strips of pepper before cooking, but this is not necessary. I did not notice any noticeable difference in flavor between the buttered and non-oiled peppers.
Simply set your waffle iron to the hottest setting and slice any peppers you like into strips so they lie flat. Bell peppers are good, but why not make waffles with jalapenos or another pungent friend? Place the strips on an iron, cover it and let the peppers cook until they are soft and marked with dark charred squares (about four minutes). Put them in a sandwich, on a plate of hummus, or just eat them with a little flaky salt (which is what I got into doing, and it was a good – and healthy for me – snack).