Until the last decade or so, this bright-red, sweet pepper with just a touch of zesty kick was found almost exclusively in Spain, but happily its fame has spread. We are thrilled to offer it to you.

About Piquillos
The pointy, triangular piquillos (the word means "beak" in Spanish) are 3-4 inches long and have an all-over, bright-red color. The flesh is compact and rather fine in texture, and the flavor includes a hint of sweetness, very little acidity and a slight, sneaky heat, nothing like hot chile peppers. Wood-fire roasting gives them a wonderfully mellow smokiness.

Serving Suggestions
Piquillos are beloved by professional cooks not just for their flavor and appealing appearance, but for their ease of preparation! Already carefully selected for size and quality, peeled and roasted, they save the chef a huge amount of time and effort.

Use them to add flavor as you would olives or capers - they're that versatile. Piquillos may be chopped and added to salads, left whole to garnish platters and antipasto selections, pureed for sauces and dips and spreads, stuffed with garlicky goat cheese (click for this recipe!) . . . the ideas go on and on.

Production Methods
Matiz Navarro piquillos are organic, something we love to see - and to support. Piquillo peppers are harvested by hand twice between September and December. Once collected, they are transported to processors, where they're cleaned and then roasted in a wood-fired ovens brought to temperatures from 700º-800º. At this temperature, the peppers roast almost instantaneously. The peppers are cooled, and then peeled and seeded by hand, without washing or being submerged in water, which affects their flavor and consistency. Finally, they're packed without any added liquid. The liquid in the jar is the juice given off by the peppers during roasting and packing.