Roasted Pepper Salad

We made an Italian-style feast the other day that consisted of some ultra-rich macaroni and cheese, green beans in a tomato/Parmesan sauce, and this salad. I thought that we needed something light and fresh to offset all the heavier cheese flavors of the other dishes and this really was just the right thing to serve.

I started by roasting red and yellow peppers and then added layers of flavor on top of them. Orange, hot chile, toasted almonds, raisins and plenty of fresh oregano were laced through the peppers. A drizzle of high-quality olive oil and a touch of sea salt finished it.

This salad, with it's bright red colors and flecks of green and orange, is gorgeous. I served it at room temperature and tossed all the ingredients at the table right as we were sitting down to eat. We ate the leftovers the next day for lunch and it was just as good so feel free it to make it ahead of time too.

For 4 Servings:

• 3 large red, yellow or orange bell peppers
• 1 small hot red chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon golden raisins
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• Fresh orange juice, sea salt and olive oil to taste

Set the peppers on a hot grill or place under the broiler. Roast, turning occasionally until the skins are blackened and blistered on all sides. Place the peppers in a large sealable bag, seal, and set aside for 15 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bag and peel off the skins. Carefully pull or cut out the core and seeds and discard. Cut each pepper into 6 slices and place on a platter.

Scatter the chile, oregano, almonds, raisins, zest and salt over the peppers. Give them a squeeze of fresh orange juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss the salad before serving and adjust with additional salt, oil or juice if needed.

The salad will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days.