Now that the dark nights are drawing in, it feels even more important to eat bright foods that remind you of sunnier days! This roasted red pepper salad is full of colour and flavour, with sweet roasted red peppers, creamy hard-boiled eggs, fruity olive oil and a hint of garlic and cumin. As an added bonus, red pepper is packed full of Vitamin C, which helps keep your immune system strong, so this salad will help you fight off the colds that are going around at this time of year.
To make this recipe even quicker and easier, you can use a jar of roasted red peppers (easily found at any supermarket). However, it’s really simple to roast your own and it’s always nice to know exactly what’s going into your meal! Leaving the salad overnight lets the flavours develop, and allows the cumin and garlic infused olive oil to soak into the peppers – highly recommended!
In Spain, this salad is commonly eaten as a tapa or as a side dish – we’ve combined it with grilled pork steaks and a salad for a light, yet filling, meal.
Ingredients (serves 4 as a side salad)
4 large red peppers
2 eggs
2 medium cloves garlic (or less if you prefer a gentler taste)
1 tsp ground cumin
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius ( 400 degrees Fareneheit). Place the red peppers on an oven tray and place in the oven. Cook for around 25 minutes until the skin of the peppers is charred and the peppers have softened and collapsed. Remove and place in a sandwich bag. Leave until cool.
- While the peppers are cooking, place the eggs in a small saucepan and fill with cold water. Place on a high heat and boil for around 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove them from the bag. Their skins should come away easily because of the steam created in the bag. Peel entirely and remove the seeds and stalk. Cut into thin strips and place in a bowl.
- Peel the hard boiled eggs and cut into 1cm pieces. Add to the roast red peppers. Pass the cloves of garlic through a garlic press, or mince finely with a knife, and add to the bowl with the cumin and olive oil. Mix well and leave in a tupperware overnight in the fridge to let the flavours develop. Serve cold.
