Weekend Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Capers, Anchovies and Olives

The ingredients in this dish all have strong flavors, but have faith that they work very well together: centuries of Sicilian cooks know what they're doing here. Roasting peppers yourself seems a bit tricky at first, but you'll quickly get the hang of peeling them after they've been in the oven for a bit. (Try putting them in a sealed plastic bag after their run in the oven. It can help loosen the skins for peeling.) And enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Capers, Anchovies and Olives
Serves about 6
6 bell peppers, preferably 2 red, 2 yellow and 2 orange
Olive oil
Salt
6 anchovy fillets, minced
1 heaping tablespoon capers
Rounded 1/3 cup oil-cured black olives
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Wash and dry bell peppers and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush outsides with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until charred and very soft (they'll start collapsing), about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

When cool enough to handle, peel skin away from peppers. Pull out stems, cut each pepper open and scrape out seeds. Using your fingers, tear peppers into 1-inch wide strips and place in a bowl. Add anchovies, capers, olives and parsley and mix well. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. This makes a great side dish to Spatchcocked Game Hens with Basil Marinade.

[Photo by Flickr user su-lin]

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