Pimiento is derived from the Spanish word "pimienta," which means "pepper." The often heart-shaped peppers with a thick flesh are popular additions to a variety of foods such as salads, soups, cheese spread and olives.You can cook the pimiento pepper by roasting it and eating it whole from an antipasto platter or as a side dish or cutting it up and adding it to a soup, sandwich or pasta dish.

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse the peppers under cool running water for a minimum of thirty seconds each and pat dry with paper towel.

Place the whole peppers in a glass baking dish or metal pan. Brush the entire surface of each pimiento pepper with a liberal dose of pure olive oil. You can use extra virgin olive oil, but it's not necessary.

Place the peppers in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to cook. Remove the dish from the oven with a pair of oven mitts on your hands. Pick each pepper up with a pair of tongs and turn it over so it will roast evenly. Place the dish back into the oven and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the dish and rotate the peppers once more. Cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes and remove the peppers from the oven as long as the skin is visibly separating from the pepper.

Cover the dish or pan with plastic wrap and allow the peppers to completely cool. Peel the skin from the peppers with the edge of a sharp knife or your fingernails. Scoop out the core and seeds with a spoon and discard.

Eat the pepper as is, slice it into strips or chop it.