Roasted peppers with mozzarella and carameliz

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 mediums Yellow and red bell peppers
2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
18 Garlic cloves, sliced
¼ cup Plus 1-1/2 teaspoons
Balsamic vinegar
2 Sprigs of fresh thyme OR
¼ teaspoon Dried
6 ounces Fresh mozzarella cheese,
Sliced as thin as possible
¼ cup Coarsely chopped flat-leaf
Parsley or fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Roast the bell peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler as close to the heat as possible, turning, until charred all over, about 5 minutes. Enclose the peppers in a paper bag and set aside for 10 minutes to steam. With a small knife, scrape off the blackened skin; remove the cores, seeds and ribs. Rinse under running water. Slice the peppers lengthwise into 1-inch strips. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 3 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.) 2. In a small nonreactive skillet, combine the olive oil and garlic. Cover and cook over very low heat until the garlic is very tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to moderate and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and thyme and cook for 1 minute. 3. To assemble, decoratively arrange the pepper strips and mozzarella slices on 6 small plates. Spoon the caramelized garlic dressing over the peppers and cheese and sprinkle the parsley and black pepper on top. Serve at room temperature. (The salad can be assembled up to 2 hours before serving.) From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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