Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Almond-Stuffed Olives


When I looked outside Saturday morning and saw December instead of April, I was surprised but not disheartened. When it is cold and blustery outside, there are plenty of antidotes inside.

Start by lighting a scented candle. My favorites for days like this evoke the Mediterranean. In the dining room are eucalyptus and herbes de Provence, while the kitchen candle is apricot.

Next plan your menu for the day. Tomatoes and roasted peppers are what I prefer when the weather is gray. Perhaps some cheese. Voila! The basis for a roasted pepper salad.

1-12 cherry tomatoes, slightly roasted
3 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers,
2 garlic cloves
10-12 chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese
olives (mine were green and stuffed with almonds)
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
dash sel de fleur
dash pepper, freshly ground

Toss the the cherry tomatoes and toss them in one teaspoon olive oil. Roast at medium heat in a small oven until they are just soft; chill. Next, cut the red peppers into strips and chop the garlic. Toss peppers and garlic in a bowl and coat with the remainder of the olive oil. Roast at 425 for about 15-20 minutes until the peppers begin to turn black along the edges and the garlic turns brown. Place in a large bowl and set aside to chill.

Once roasted ingredients are chilled, toss with cheese and olives. Add parsley (and basil, if you have any fresh on hand; I did not). Cover and chill for two hours. Season after you taste test.

This is a sweet salad! I served it with London Broil that had been rubbed with herbes de Provence and garlic.

Just making it cheered me immensely. Preparing the countertop, chopping the garlic, and roasting the peppers gave me a purpose.

There is nothing quite like puttering about in the kitchen, is there?

Comments

I always have some good quality jarred red peppers or piquillos in my pantry, to make dishes like this even easier. And take heart -- spring has finally sprung here in New England, and it will happen to you, too!
Unknown said…
I do not know what I would do without jars of roasted red peppers, Lydia.

Thanks for visiting!
Katie Zeller said…
Lovely salad - enough to cheer you up even on bad spring days...
I'm running low on peppers - must be time for a trip to Andorra/Spain to stock up...or just get out ot the rain!
Unknown said…
Oh, what fun to travel to Spain for peppers, Katie!

I think I may tweak this salad a bit...
Betty Carlson said…
I adore roasted red peppers, but it's always a pain to make a sufficient quantity (I usually just serve them on their own with olives and anchovies, or with feta cheese sprinkled over them.)

Mixing them in this type of salad is a great idea. Thanks Mimi!
Anonymous said…
That's a fine looking salad with great colour to compensate for the miserable weather outside. I hope spring arrives soooon !
Unknown said…
Peppers are great with goat cheese, Betty - the tartness of the cheese balances the sweetness of the peppers. I like that counteraction on the palate.

Fiona, I think we may have turned a corner weatherwise...
Farmgirl Cyn said…
I pretty much love any veggie that is roasted, and peppers are one of my favorites.
I know how you feel about getting a taste of spring and then...BAM. It's like winter again. We had a frost in May last year that killed every one of the apple blossoms and nary an apple did we see.
Unknown said…
Oh, Cyn, we've had snow in mid-May, but never a killing frost! Yikes. I hope this doesn't happen this year. We were not here for the best part of May last year, when the apple blossoms are out. But we were in Paris, so I guess it all events out.
Anonymous said…
Like your website.

Eileen (passions to pastry)@
www.livingtastefully.com
Unknown said…
Thanks, Eileen! I am home for lunch but will pop over to your site tonight.

Popular Posts