Salad Archive

ROASTED RED PEPPER FIRST COURSE SALAD

This is the perfect first course to serve before almost any Italian main dish - very easy to prepare and serve too!

Here is what you'll need to make four servings:

1. one large and one small jars of Goya roasted red peppers

2. 20 oil-cured olives

3. 12 slices Genoa salami

4. 12 bocconcini mozzarella balls

5. 4 tablespoons pine nuts

6.  extra virgin olive oil

7. white balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

To make the assembly of the salad easy, have a large prep platter on which you can place each ingredient before assembling each serving.  I've been using Cuisinart's Prep Boards for many years for this and so many other uses in the cooking process. Once you've used them, you'll just love them.  Here's a link to buying them on Amazon...

or you can just use any platter you have on hand.

A. Drain the peppers and place on paper towel to blot dry.  Cut peppers into thin strips and place strips on your platter.

B. place olives on platter

C. slice salami slices into thin strips and place strips on your platter.

D. place bocconcini on platter and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of dried red pepper flakes

E. toast pine nuts in a non-stick skillet over low heat until lightly browned - and place pine nuts on your platter.

ASSEMBLY

Arrange an equal amount of red pepper strips in the center of each salad plate - slightly mounded. Then arrange 4 olives, an equal amount of salami strips, 3 bocconcini, one tablespoon pine nuts over and around the mound of red pepper strips. 

Finally, drizzle about a tablespoon of you favorite extra virgin olive oil over each serving; and about a teaspoon of either white balsamic or red wine vinegar over each serving.

Have a black pepper grinder at the table for those who like black pepper - as well as some sea salt if needed.

Also, thin bread sticks called Grissini would complete the dish.