Don’t be put off making this deliciously unusual salad because it is called double fried! The first ‘frying’ is just to remove the skin & par cook – the second is more just sauteeing in a little olive oil with some garlic! I love this dish & you can serve it as a salad or as a mezze dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 large green bell peppers
• 2 vine ripened tomatoes
• 1-2 large cloves of garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (good quality)
• salt to taste, I like sea salt in this
• vinegar – I use malt, to taste (you can leave this out if you prefer but it does enhance the flavours!

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Deep fry the peppers & tomatoes until the skin is dark, wrinkled & beginning to split.
2. Remove from the fryer, drain then place in a bag or plastic container for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, peel the peppers, cut in half & discard the seeds. Peel the tomatoes. Next, chop them into pieces approx. 1″ x 1/2 “.
3. Peel then mince the garlic.
4. Gently heat the olive oil in a frying pan & add the peppers, tomatoes & garlic. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes then add the water & salt to taste.
5. Cook gently, stirring occasionaly for 15 minutes or until the peppers are soft & the tomato has almost completely disintergrated.
6. Remove from the heat, mix in a little vinegar, re-season if required & serve either warm or room temperature.

 

TIP:

• If you really don’t like the idea of double frying, try grilling/broiling the peppers & tomatoes. Alternatively you could just plunge them into scalding water to remove the skins then sautee them for a while longer until softened.

Tags: Garlic, mezze, Peppers, Salad, Tomatoes