Roasted Bell Pepper and Tomato Salad

If you can’t decide whether to serve a meze, a starter, or a simple salad, this roasted bell pepper and tomato salad fits right in. Made with oven-roasted peppers, soft tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil, it works equally well on a Mediterranean meze table, as a light appetizer, or as an easy side dish to place in the middle of the table with bread.

Ingredients

• 2–3 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), halved and seeds removed

• 4–5 medium tomatoes, halved

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small garlic clove, very finely minced or grated

• Salt

Instructions

Roasting

Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Place the peppers on a baking tray cut side down. Place the tomatoes cut side up on the same tray or on a separate one. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until the pepper skins blister and the tomatoes are soft and slightly collapsed but still juicy. Remove from the oven.

Peeling and chopping

Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover for a few minutes. Peel off the skins, then chop roughly. Do not peel the tomatoes. Chop them gently and keep all the juices from the tray.

Assembly

Combine the chopped peppers and tomatoes with all their juices in a bowl. Add the garlic, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and salt to taste. Mix gently. Let the salad sit for 5–10 minutes before serving so the flavors come together.

Serve

Serve at room temperature with bread, alongside grilled meat or as part of a simple meze spread.