This versatile dish can be can be made in advance and served hot, room temperature or chilled. It can be used to top dishes such as polenta at dinner or alongside sandwiches at lunch.

To make it, all you need to do is burn the food. Burn the food? That’s right - carefully burning the peppers gives them a nice smoky flavor.

Ingredients:

• 8 large whole red, yellow and/or orange peppers (your combination can be based on the mixt of colors for visual appeal or availability in your area). Wash the peppers and remove any labels.
• 4 tablespoons capers (drained and rinsed) or to taste
• 1 1/2 cups halved or sliced mixed olives. Many grocery stores have olive bars at which you can purchase the olives of your choice. Pick olives of varying sizes, colors and preservation methods (brined, in oil, etc.) If an olive bar is not available, look for olives in jars such as kalamata, black oil-cured and green French olives. Do not use canned black olives – they lack flavor. For convenience, choose olives that are already pitted.
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 large brown paper grocery bag

Blacken the peppers with high-heat. For the best flavor, grill them outdoors, but an indoor grill or a broiler with the rack set close to the heat source also work very well. Place the peppers on the grill or under the broiler on a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. Using kitchen tongs, turn them every few minutes until they are fully blackened and blistered on all sides.

To steam the blackened peppers, place them in the paper bag, roll the top closed and set aside on a heat and moisture resistant surface for 5 – 10 minutes.

While the peppers are steaming, make the dressing by combining the olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl with a whisk. Set aside.

Remove the blackened skin of the peppers, one at a time, by holding the pepper under running cold water and gently rub the blackened skin off. The peppers will have also softened during the steaming process, so you will easily be able to pull or cut open the pepper and rinse out the seeds, scrape of any pith and remove the stem. Set aside on paper towels to drain while you repeat with the remaining peppers. When all peppers are skinned, cleaned and drained, cut into strips approx. ½” wide.

Place the pepper strips, capers and olives in a large bowl. Add the dressing and mix gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 24 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature as a salad or side dish. To serve as a topping for a hot dish, heat the salad in a saucepan over low heat until just heated through.