Roasted Red Peppers with Parsley Vinaigrette

Roasted red peppers are wonderful as a side dish or in a sandwich. You can roast the peppers on a grill, on the burner of a gas stove, or in the broiler. The vinaigrette with fresh parsley, lemon zest, garlic, Dijon mustard and olive oil brings out the intense flavor of the roasted peppers. If you like, you can also use yellow and orange peppers to make a very colorful side dish. If you do not have the time or the inclination to roast the peppers yourself, use a bottle of roasted red peppers and make the vinaigrette to marinate them. They will taste just as good, and you don't have to tell anyone.

6 red bell peppers
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
3 cloves of garlic peeled and very thinly sliced
1/4 cup of fresh parsley stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
zest of one lemon

Preheat the broiler, or fire up the grill and broil the peppers until the skin is charred. Turn the peppers with tongs and and continue broiling until all sides of the peppers are charred. When the peppers are evenly charred put them in a paper bag or cover with foil and let them steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Then peel back the charred skin, remove the cores and seeds and cut into strips.

Vinaigrette:

Put the olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and apple cider vinaigrette in a small food processor and blend until homogenized. Pour into a bowl and add the sliced garlic, lemon zest and chopped fresh parsley.

Marinate the peppers in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 3 or 4 hours. Serve cold.

Greek Orzo Salad

This is a delicious version of the classic salad made with the small rice shaped pasta that you will find in many places along the Aegean coast of Greece. Either lemon juice or lime juice may be used in the vinaigrette, but it is the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar combined with the mustard and garlic that gives this dressing its exceptional great taste.

Ingredients:

12 ounces of orzo (rice shaped pasta) cooked and allowed to cool
½ cup green onions, very finely chopped including some green tops

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 medium cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

1 ½ cups crumbled Feta cheese (6 ounces)
3/4 cup pitted black Kalamata olives

Vinaigrette:

2 garlic cloves (1 Tbs.) very finely chopped or put through a press
2/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice or lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

First prepare the vinaigrette by mixing together the olive oil, lime juice or lemon juice, mustard, cumin, apple cider vinegar, fresh chopped dill, sea salt and a generous twist of black pepper.

For the salad, simply combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl, add sea salt, a twist of black pepper and the vinaigrette. Toss to mix and serve immediately.

Stocking the Mediterranean Pantry ~ Sea Salt and Pepper

Sea Salt: Today there are many varieties of sea salt, each with a different taste to add something special to a recipe. Fleur De Sel de Camargue is a hand raked salt harvested in France. The name comes from the aroma of violets that develops as the salt dries. Smoked sea salts are a wonderful, natural way to add interesting taste and flavor to a dish. Finish off a pasta dish or roasted vegetables with a delicious Hickory or Applewood smoked sea salt. Murray River salt crystals are light & delicate peach colored flakes that have a wonderfully mild flavor. Cyprus Flake has a fresh ocean flavor and a satisfying crunch that make it a favorite with many professional chefs. Smoky, earthy, smoked chipotle salt combines the spiciness of smoked chipotle peppers with all-natural Pacific sea salt when you want to add a bit of zing. Wild Porcini Sea Salt is a delicious fusion of all-natural sea salt and dried porcinis that adds a mushroom aroma and depth to risotto, soups, and sauces. Try one of these gourmet salts to add some amazing taste and variety. They are available on line or in some high-end grocery stores.

Pepper: Pepper was the first spice used in Europe and it came to have great social and economic value there. Up until the 19th century, it was a luxury only the rich could afford. Pepper became affordable to the average person in the early 1800s. Today we have a wide variety of peppercorns available to us. Malabar is pungent and aromatic, Tellicherry has a rich aromatic aroma with a hint of cedar and cherry, green peppercorns are relatively mild, white peppercorns have a bit of heat, and rainbow peppercorns that give an interesting variety of tastes to food. Keep several kinds on hand in peppermills to use daily.

Cayenne Pepper adds very intense heat. A well-placed pinch of Cayenne brightens up cream soups, tomato sauces for pasta and dips for crudités. Aleppo Pepper is like paprika. Sauté with onions, garlic, or bell peppers and use in breading for baked or fried chicken. Its moderate heat enriches savory fish stews, rice pilafs, simmered beans and lentils. Hot Red Pepper Flakes add a touch of heat to marinades or can be fried with garlic in oil to start vegetarian pasta sauces or beef stew. Italians often keep pepper flakes on the table to sprinkle on pizza or pasta. Try adding some pepper flakes to a simmering tomato sauce to give it a little bit of heat.