Roasted Peppers With Saffron

yield: 1 cup (4 servings) by Deborah Madison

You can eat these tender roasted peppers by themselves for an
appetizer, combine them with other elements to make a larger salad,
toss them with pasta, or add to cooked rice and millet. They?ll keep
for several days if well covered and refrigerated.
For the best results and easiest handling, choose the thick-fleshed
red or yellow peppers whose sides are as flat and even as possible.
For a really pretty salad, use both red and yellow peppers.

Appetizer for four

2 medium to large peppers
1 small garlic clove, slivered
Pinch of saffron threads
1 tablespoon boiling water
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Fresh herbs, such as basil or marjoram, chopped
Chopped nasturtium flowers or slivered opal basil (optional)

Grill the peppers directly over an open flame. (If you don?t have a
gas-burning stove, place the peppers under the electric element in the
oven and turn them every few minutes.) Set them right on the burner,
turn the flame on high, and every few minutes, rotate, using a pair of
tongs. Continue doing this until the pepper is completely charred,
then immediately drop in plastic bag and twist shut, or set in a bowl
and cover with a plate. Allow the peppers to steam for at least 15
minutes to soften the flesh and make the peels easier to remove.
After the pepper has steamed, you?ll notice an amber-colored juice in
the bottom of the bowl. Carefully reserve it. If it is full of ash,
pour it through a sieve. This sweet, syrupy juice will become part of
the dressing. If you hold the pepper up and pierce it at the bottom,
more juice will run out, which you can add to the syrup. Set aside in
a bowl.

Using a paper towel, wipe off the charred skin. Remove the top, open
up the pepper, scrape out the seeds and slice into pieces as wide as
you like. Add them to the juices along with the slivered garlic. Cover
the saffron threads with the boiling water, allow to stand several
minutes, then pour over the peppers. Toss, season with vinegar to
taste, and just before serving, toss with the herbs.
For a pretty garnish, you could toss the peppers with chopped
nasturtium flowers or the slivered leaves of opal basil.

1 serving 5 1/4 cup 9 calories 0.1 grams total fat trace saturated fat 0
milligrams cholesterol

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