As you walk through the streets of Belgrade, one of the
most pleasant scents is the smell of roasting peppers.
This salad takes a little time to make, but I usually prepare enough
to last a few days. It also gets better the longer it sits in
the refrigerator. Just don't forget your breath mints!
Roast the Peppers
Buy red bell peppers at the store, preferably when they are
reasonably priced. Wash well. Set oven to broil. Arrange the
peppers (stems up) on a baking sheet, then place the baking sheet on the
top rack of the oven. When skin is half blackened, turn peppers
upside down and blacken again. Repeat on all sides of the pepper,
until the pepper is nice and roasted on all surfaces.
Peel the Peppers
Remove baking sheet from oven, and turn off the oven. Grab peppers
with BBQ tongs and place them all in a big paper bag (do not use plastic!).
Fold the top of the paper bag over and let them steam - this loosens the skin.
Get a big bowl and fill it with cold water. After a few minutes, grab a
pepper from the bag with the BBQ tongs and put it on a plate or bowl in
front of you. Remove the skin with your fingers.
As your fingers get hot, dunk them in the bowl of cool water (which also
removes the seeds and bits of charred pepper skin off your hands). Remove
all traces of the stem and seeds, and put the remaining red flesh in a deep
container (the size of which depends on the amount of peppers you have). I like to
rip my peppers into one inch wide strips and arrange them nicely. Other
people put the peppers whole into a bowl, or arrange them whole on a serving
plate. You're cooking, you decide how you want them.
Season the Peppers
My mother uses salt, Italian dressing, and fresh crushed garlic to season
her peppers. I like to use salt, Extra Virgin Olive oil, and a lot of
fresh crushed garlic to season mine. If you used the deep container method,
then fill the container with your dressing of choice until just above the
height of the peppers. Salt to and add crushed garlic to taste.
Basically the idea is to marinate them in dressing. If you arranged them
pretty on a plate, just drizzle some olive oil (or dressing), add salt to taste,
and crush some fresh garlic on top.
Serve the Peppers
You can serve immediately, and you can serve this salad warm or cold.
It is an attactive dish, and your guests will know they are special.
As my family says in Yugoslavian, prijatno (Bon Appetit!).
P.S. My favorite way to eat red peppers is to make toast and slap a
few marinated peppers on top. You can even make a sandwich if you want
to be neat about it. Just remember to toast the bread, eitherwise it
gets too soggy! Miniature versions can be served as an appetizer too.
