I first tasted this salad in Val de Lobo in the Algarve and was struck by the intensity of its flavours. This is achieved by lightly roasting the tomatoes and peppers. Given that they have had a head start with all that sunshine, this added twist makes them release even more flavour.
preparation time 15 minutes
cooking time 15 minutes
serves 6
Ingredients
4 green peppers, halved and deseeded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tomatoes
125 g (4 oz) cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Put the peppers skin-side up on a baking sheet and brush them with a little of the vegetable oil. Place under a hot grill until the skin bubbles and blackens, then leave to cool.
2 Brush the tomatoes with the remaining vegetable oil and grill until the skin bubbles and burns. Peel off the skin from the green peppers and the tomatoes.
3 Slice the peppers and put them in a bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds. Slice the tomato flesh thickly and add to the peppers.
4 Add the cucumber and garlic to the bowl and season very lightly with salt and pepper.
5 Mix together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and use to dress the salad, then scatter over the chopped basil.
Lightly roasting vegetables in order to develop the full flavour is a great technique that worlds every time. Mushrooms in particular benefit enormously from a few minutes either under the grill or in a hot oven before being added to a sauce or soup.