Grilled Pepper Salad

grilled pepper saladSimple ingredients mingling together to pull off an out-of-this-world taste! If you’ve never had grilled peppers then you are in for one heck of a treat!  Grilling or roasting brings out their natural sweetness making them so good on their own and they really don’t need much attention to shine, so keep the ingredients simple.

  A grilled pepper takes little effort to cook so don’t fret about the charred veggie.  It’s this step that enhances their flavor to give you a slight smokey, sweet taste.  By the way, green bell peppers are unripe and other color varieties are left on the plant longer to ripen.  Do not use green peppers in this recipe as it will taste bitter.  Serve this as part of an antipasto for your friends and family to nibble on while the main meal is cooking.  And don’t forget to serve it with freshly made bread.  Mangia!

Serves 4 as a side
4 large bell peppers, assorted colors except green
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
8 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
8 large mint leaves, sliced thinly
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil

bell peppersGrill peppers over medium heat, turning, until charred all over. Remove and place in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave until cool enough to handle, about 10 or so minutes. The trapped heat will steam the peppers making it easy to remove the skin.  Remove charred skins, seeds, and stems. Slice into long strips and place in a clean bowl. Add garlic, capers, half the mint, and gently toss. This is where you’ll need to eyeball the amount of olive oil. Start with a good splash and go from there. I like there to be a pool of oil at the bottom…perfect for mopping up with a good chunk of bread. Season with sea salt and pepper. Allow to sit for half an hour (if you can wait that long) before you serve it.

grilled bell peppersThe Culinary Chase’s Note: Leftovers are perfect on a grilled piece of bread with a thin slice of Parmesan, as a pizza topping, in a sandwich or whiz it up in a blender and use as a sauce for pasta. Enjoy!

Grilled Pepper Salad
 
Serve this as part of an antipasto for your friends and family to nibble on while the main meal is cooking. And don’t forget to serve it with freshly made bread. Mangia!
Author: The Culinary Chase
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients
  • 6 large bell peppers, assorted colors except green
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
  • 8 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
  • 8 large mint leaves, sliced thinly
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Grill peppers over medium heat, turning, until charred all over. Remove and place in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave until cool enough to handle, about 10 or so minutes. The trapped heat will steam the peppers making it easy to remove the skin.
  2. Remove charred skins, seeds, and stems. Slice into long strips and place in a clean bowl. Add garlic, capers, half the mint, and gently toss. This is where you’ll need to eyeball the amount of olive oil. Start with a good splash and go from there. I like there to be a pool of oil at the bottom…perfect for mopping up with a good chunk of bread. Season with sea salt and pepper. Allow to sit for half an hour (if you can wait that long) before you serve it.
Notes
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Leftovers are perfect on a grilled piece of bread with a thin slice of Parmesan, as a pizza topping, in a sandwich or whiz it up in a blender and use as a sauce for pasta. Enjoy!

 

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