Massa de pimento is essentially a red pepper paste used to enhance sauces, meats, fish and vegetables. This uniquely Portuguese paste originated in the Alentejo region by using the abundance of sweet red peppers, salt and sunshine available. After a few days of fermenting in the sun, a rich salty-sour paste emerges for enhancing most anything.
Massa de Pimento- Red Pepper Paste
This famous Portuguese red pepper paste is used in dishes like Porco Alentejana to add depth to the sauce, over grilled fish and vegetables, and spread over plain slices of bread.
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Servings: 1 cup
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 6 large Red bell peppers
- 2 tbsp Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- 2 cloves Cloves garlic
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Core and seed peppers. Slice into long 1-inch wide strips.
- Put pepper strips in a plastic freezer bag. Add salt, seal, and shake to get salt on all the pepper strips. Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 250°F (130°C). Rinse peppers to remove salt. Thoroughly dry them with paper towels.
- Place pepper stips on a cookie sheet and bake for two hours. Remove and put in another freezer bag. Let them cool slightly then rub off skins. It's not critical to remove every bit of skin.
- Put the peppers in a food processor along with the garlic cloves. Pulse and add olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Scoop pepper paste into a clean jar and refrigerate.
Notes
- Massa de Pimento will keep in the refrigerator for around a month.
Nutrition
Calories: 742kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 39g | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 2101mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 30810IU | Vitamin C: 1261mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 5mg
