Grilled Bell Pepper salad is another favourite family recipe which is very easy to make, tastes as vibrant as it looks and is incredibly versatile. Perfect on its own, it can also be used as the base for other ingredients such as feta cheese, as described here, or as part of a tasty open sandwich, layered on top of a generous dollop of avocado butter and crowned with Spanish Serrano ham or Manchego cheese. (See also my chickpea chips recipe in an earlier post for another suggested pairing.)
It may seem odd grilling them until their skin turns black but this makes the peppers beautifully soft and sweet. The blackened skin comes off very easily once the peppers have cooled down. Don’t get too hung up about trying to remove all the burnt bits completely as the odd bit here or there, won’t spoil the flavour.
What’s good about this recipe is that once you have added the dressing, your grilled peppers will keep in the fridge for days and actually taste better the longer they marinade in the dressing.
Tempted to give it a go? See the two recipes below!
Recipes
Caramelised Pepper Salad
Difficulty: Easy
Serves:2-4
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
Ingredients
3-4 large bell peppers (preferably in mixed colours)
Dressing
Olive oil and Vinegar of choice (I prefer to use Balsamic or White Wine Vinegar)
Method
- Wash peppers, remove pips and stems and chop into large chunks.
- Lightly coat a baking tray with olive oil and arrange the peppers onto it.
- Brush top of peppers with olive oil and place under a moderately hot grill.
- Cook until the tops of the peppers start to blacken.
- Turn peppers over and brush the undersides with oil.
- Return to grill and cook until they are soft.
- Allow to cool and then gently remove the blackened skin. To speed up the process you can pop the cooked peppers in a food bag, allow to cool down a little and then rub the bag over the peppers. The skin should peel off easily. (You can leave any small stubborn skin bits as this will not affect the overall taste).
- Cut cooked peppers into strips and place in a bowl.
- Add the oil and vinegar dressing.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Caramelised Peppers and Feta Cheese Salad
Difficulty: Easy
Serves:1-2
Suitable for: vegetarians
Ingredients
- 100 grams of feta cheese
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- Handful of stoned black olives
- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh or dried oregano
- 1 generous squirt of lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Method
- Chop cheese into small squares and place in bowl.
- Add lemon juice, olive oil and oregano and mix well.
- Slice tomatoes and add to pepper salad (recipe above).
- Finally add cheese and olives.
- Salad can be eaten straight away but the flavours will intensify if allowed to sit for a while before serving.
Cube feta cheese 
Add lemon juice, oil and oregano 
Slice some cherry tomatoes 
Add to caramelised pepper salad 
Serve with crusty bread.
Did you know that all bell peppers start off being green then turn different shades of colour as they ripen, with the red pepper being the ripest and therefore the sweetest ones. By using different coloured peppers not only does it create a more attractive salad, but you will also get a more interesting symphony of flavours.
© (Suzette McDaniel Don’t Burn The Onions) Unauthorized use and /or duplication of this material without express written consent from this blog’s author/and or owner is strictly prohibited
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