Chargrilled Pepper Salad

As I have probably mentioned a hundred times already, SS loves his pasta. So last night, instead of making pasta for dinner, I made this lovely fresh pepper salad, with a cup full of leftover penne. In Italian: Insalata ai Peperoni Arristiti, adapted from Jeni Wrights’s The Book of Pasta. The ingredients are simple, but the overall flavor that resonates from this salad are wonderfully intense. I am consciously trying to balance my non healthy with healthy cooking (read: baking). Over the weekend, I attempted very excitedly to make my very first whole wheat savoury scones—using an egg replacer. FAIL. Big FAIL. Hahaha. It’s all a part and parcel of it right? I have vowed for a few days (until my next lot of amazing cook books i.e. cupcake cook books arrive) that I shall bombard (or attempt to) myself and this blog as a direct consequence, with wonderful healthy (& occasionally, non healthy) treats!!

Ingredients:

1. ½ red pepper

2. ½ green pepper

3. 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

4. 1 cup cooked penne/tricolour fusili

5. A few fresh basil leaves, chopped

6. A few fresh coriander leaves, chopped

7. I small garlic clove, minced

8. Sea salt & fresh pepper, to taste

Dressing:

1. 1 tbs bottled pesto

2. Juice of ¼ lemon

3. 1-2 tbs of olive oil

Method:

1. Switch on the grill and let it get nice and fiery. Place the halved peppers, bump facing the grill, on a lined baking tray. Place the halved cherry tomatoes on the tray, with insides facing the grill. Let them sit under the grill for about 10-15 minutes, this will let them get a bit of colour, and the texture of the peppers will be meaty and a wonderful contrast to the firmness of the penne. Make sure to keep an eye on them though!

2. Remove and run the peppers under cold water to stop them from cooking further. They should be softer to touch. Cut the peppers into long strips and leave the cherry tomatoes as they are. Place in a bowl and set to chill in the freezer.

3. Prepare the pasta (if not using leftovers like me). Boil according to instructions on the package. The recipe calls for tricolour fusili, but I used penne and it tasted wonderful. For the dressing- whisk together the olive oil, juice of the lemon and the pesto. Add the pasta and mix well to coat it. Place in the fridge while the rest of the salad is assembled.

4. Chop the coriander and basil, and mix with the minced garlic. Add the peppers and tomato to the pasta, add the herb mix and season well to taste. Serve.

Feedback:

1. This recipe feeds 2 as an appetizer/side dish.

2. This pasta can be prepared in advance and used even a day later.

3. I found it a bit oily at the bottom, and would suggest that only 1 tbs be used instead of 2.

4. This recipe can be easily doubled. But the peppers should be prepared the same way- halved and then grilled.

5. Coriander is not commonly used in Italian food—but this recipe was wonderful! The coriander added a nutty taste to the salad and worked perfectly with the other herbs.