Recipe Day: Roasted Peppers & Bruschetta

I love enjoying some of the spoils of summer from the garden, and roasted peppers is definitely one of my favorite things to enjoy as the weather gets warmer.  This side dish goes great paired with steak on the grill, or is great to bring along to a party as an appetizer. It's not hard to prepare this dish, but peeling the peppers can get messy--something well worth it, to me, for the result.

For Roasted Peppers:

• 6 bell peppers (any color will work fine--red are my favorite, but I also like using yellow, orange and green for more color)
• cooking spray
• 2 cloves minced garlic (I usually pop into the microwave for about 8 seconds to soften up first)
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, sliced into thin slivers
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For Bruschetta Toasts

• 1 loaf French Bread
• Olive Oil Cooking spray
• Garlic Powder to taste
• Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
• 2 - 3 Teaspoons Thinly Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (for toasts).  Turn grill to high heat (to roast peppers). I don't even preheat the grill, I usually just spray the peppers with cooking spray and toss onto the grill while I am preparing the bruschetta toasts.  Close the lid and roast the peppers for about 10 - 15 minutes. I usually turn over about halfway through cooking time. The goal here is to completely blacken the skins of the peppers, but not so much that you burn the pulp inside of them--if small areas are not completely black, that's ok. After the peppers are evenly charred, place into a large pot with a tight fitting lid.  This allows them to cool and the steam helps the skins come off easier.  Set them aside and let them cool for about half an hour, otherwise they will be fairly hot to handle.  Once they have cooled, remove the blackened skins and the seeds from inside.  I usually separate into smaller strips to make them easier to serve.  Once they are all peeled and seeded, toss gently with garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.

To prepare the bruschetta toasts, slice the french bread into 1/4 inch slices.  If you make them much thicker, they will not keep crisp.  Place the slices on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder, parmesean cheese and pepper.  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray.  Place in 425 oven for about 10 minutes.  They should be evenly browned, but not burnt. These bruschetta work as a great base for dips, tapenades and hummus as well.  They save well in container with a tight fitting lid.

Barb Welsh has lived in Herndon for about 12 years and has two sons aged 9 and 11. She is a member of the Herndon Patch Mom's Council and regularly blogs at www.obsessmuch.com.