Grilled Bell Pepper & Tomato Salad
Make this hearty summer salad with grilled bell peppers, tomato, and goat’s cheese. This tasty salad is great for entertaining outdoors this summer while the barbecue is on! Simply, cool peppers after grilling to mix with other ingredients. Enjoy BC Day by making this salad with local BC ingredients from your farmer’s market. This recipe features goat’s cheese from BC!Ingredients
Serves 6
½ cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp (30 ml) grated Parmesan
1 tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 ml) liquid clover honey, plus more to taste
1 tsp (5 ml) Italian seasoning or ¼ tsp (1 ml) each dried basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano
½ tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
¼ tsp (1 ml) freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 bell peppers (any combination of red, yellow and orange)
1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
3 to 4 heirloom tomatoes (various sizes and colours), cut into ½-in (1.25 cm) slices
1 cup (250 ml) packed baby arugula leaves
½ cup (125 ml) pitted green olives
3 tbsp (45 ml) toasted pine nuts
⅓ cup (80 ml) crumbled BC goat’s cheese of choice
Instructions
- Preheat barbecue grill to medium-high or broiler to high.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make dressing by whisking olive oil, vinegar, garlic, Parmesan, lemon juice, mustard, honey, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until well combined. Taste and adjust balance as desired with additional honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place onions in a small bowl along with a pinch of salt and a few ice cubes. Add cold water to cover and set aside while grilling peppers.
- Rub peppers with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over direct heat (or under broiler), turning occasionally, until well charred, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover top of bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside until peppers have cooled enough to handle, about 10 minutes. When cooled, rub off blackened skins. Cut in half and discard seeds. Cut or tear peppers into pieces.
- When ready to serve, drain red onions and pat dry on a clean tea towel. Arrange grilled peppers and tomatoes on a serving platter. Drizzle with a little dressing before arranging red onions, arugula, green olives, pine nuts and cheese over tomatoes and peppers. Drizzle again with as much dressing as desired and serve.