Ontario Roasted Pepper Salad with Olives and Capers

"He that sups upon salad, goes not to bed fasting." Thomas Fuller

Howdy followers! Ready for day three of 'Salad Week?!' Alright, me too!
So, as you can see, today our ingredient is peppers. We planted a lot of pepper plants up at our land this spring and now we have an absolute tonne of peppers to eat! Green, red, yellow and orange; bell and banana. What shall we do with all these peppers?! We have been eating them with dip, thrown them stir fries, pasta dishes and tossed in mixed green salads. The only thing I hadn't done yet is roasted them. Mary's parents grow peppers every year and when they are harvested, the vegetables are roasted, skinned, seeded and frozen in zip lock bags. The 'pepperki' are then enjoyed all winter long. To serve them, all Mary's Mum does is thaw the roasted peppers, place them on a platter and tops with extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic and salt. Absolutely delicious! No New Years meal at Mary's parent's house would be complete without the 'pepperki!' Having a best friend who is Macedonian certainly has it's advantages! Oh the food...!! Anyhoo, drawing inspiration from Helen and Jim's practise of roasting their harvested peppers, I've decided to make a salad out of mine. I hope you like it!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Ontario Roasted Pepper Salad with Olives and Capers
(serves 4 to 6)

several peppers, washed and dried
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 to 2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
3 to 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
handful fresh parsley, basil or oregano, chopped
handful olives, your preference
handful capers
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

.either on a grill or under the broiler, evenly char the skin of the entire pepper
.place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic or a lid and allow to steam, until cooled
.remove the skins and seeds of the peppers, keeping the collected juices in the bowl
.slice the peppers, set aside
.whisk the vinegar and oil into the juices, add in the garlic and herbs, toss in the sliced peppers and season with salt and pep to taste
.arrange the roasted peppers on a platter or individual plates, top with the olives and capers, enjoy!

This salad is lovely! The peppers take a bit of work, but they can be done the day before. Serve as an appetizer, side dish or main course. Add a little crumbled feta, chevre or grated asiago/manchego. This salad would also be nice with my lemon or balsamic vinaigrettes, found on my 'Recipes' page! Summer won't be here for much longer, so get out there and enjoy our harvest! Day four tomorrow...