A burst of flavor for the eyes and taste buds! Embrace the anchovy and witness the wondrous transformation. This simple salad is actually quite hearty, great way to use up veggies (limitless additions) and definitely healthy with olive oil, beans and brightly colored greens. Serve up alone or alongside grilled chicken or shrimp skewers. I will be toting this along for sure to picnics this summer. Thank you Martha Stewart Living (June 2013) for this weeknight dinner springboard. I whipped up the salad sans cheese (I forgot) and served with tacos from our favorite taco truck for a quick dinner. Lunch leftovers rivaled the supper version, given the flavors’ time to really mingle.

Roasted Bell Pepper Salad with Anchovy White Beans

• 4 medium red, yellow or orange bell peppers
• Salt and pepper, fresh ground
• 2 anchovy filets packed in oil, minced (about 1 ½ T)
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leafed parsley
• 1 can (15 ounces) small white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated (optional, I think you could sub feta or cojita in nicely too)
• 1 cup packed spicy baby greens, such as watercress or arugula

1. Slice the peppers into 6-8 pieces (wide enough they won’t fall through the grill), clean out seeds and char over the flams of a gas burner or bbq. Alternatively, you can char them in the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Move the rack closer to char quicker and not lose crunch. Let peppers cool. If in a rush, do like I and put them on a plat and stuff in freezer for a few minutes. Martha roasted them whole and then scraped off the skins – I like the char on…
2. Whisk together anchovies, garlic, vinegar, oil and parsley in a medium bowl. I think you could use anchovy paste in lieu of filets, but maybe a little less. Add beans and toss to coat. Season gently with salt and some pepper (anchovies are salty and potentially the cheese too).
3. Build the salad on each plate by layering greens on bottom, peppers and then beans. Alternatively (like I), mix the beans and peppers and if serving right away mix in some of the greens. You can always add more later. Top with cheese if you choose.

I think that you could add in grilled zucchini, corn, use mini sweet peppers, try garbanzo beans, add cucumbers or cherry tomatoes.

Ever wonder where baby peppers come from? Found one! [just kidding, peppers don’t have babies] Just a stream of consciousness. But some real bell pepper facts include:

• Member of the Capsicum genus, BUT is the only one that does not produce capsaicin, the substance that makes pepper hot (and burns)
• One large red bell pepper contains just over 200 mg of vitamin C. Almost THREE times that of the average orange
• China is the largest producer, followed by Mexico
• I have never successfully grown them. I was given some health starts for my birthday several years ago but I think the wet-sun balance in Seattle was a bit “off” that year and I don’t yet have a green house.