Tri-Color Bell Pepper Salad

AZERBAIJAN FOOD

Tri-Color Bell pepper salad is one of my favorite summer salads. It is very simple and refreshing. In this salad, red, yellow and orange bell peppers are first roasted, then mixed with fresh herbs, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. I like to use peppers of different colors as this really makes for an attractive salad, but either color alone would work just as great too. This salad makes for an ideal appetizer or a side dish. I would also like to mention that a similar salad exists in Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Greek cuisines. Enjoy!


TRI-COLOR BELL PEPPER SALAD

2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
2 orange bell peppers
finely chopped fresh parsley and mint, to taste (about 1 tablespoon of each)
2 gloves garlic, peeled and crushed (use more or less to taste)
juice of 1/2 lemon
about 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste

1. Broil the peppers on a baking sheet in the oven, until their skins are charred and the flesh is somewhat tender. You can also grill them on a BBQ. Do not over roast, or the flesh will be mushy. It should be tender but still firm enough to hold its shape when chopped.

2. When the bell peppers are cool enough to handle, peel their skins off and remove the seeds. Divide each belle pepper lengthways into half, then slice each half into strips, not too thin and not too thick. Put them in a mixing bowl, add the fresh herbs, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve slightly chilled.