Grilled pepper salad

"A number of rare or newly experienced foods have been claimed to be aphrodisiacs. At one time this quality was even ascribed to the tomato. Reflect on that when you are next preparing the family salad." Jane Grigson

Grilled pepper salad, in other words - something similar to the Italian Classic - Insalata Caprese. The difference - peppers instead of tomatoes. For quite a long time I couldn't capture what was so special about the peppers until I got into grilling them in all ways possible. My favorite - grilling whole peppers over charcoal. Simply throw the peppers on the grill, turning them until charred. 

Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with a lid - a bit of steaming helps to get the skins off easier. 

The ingredients for the salad:

* 4 large peppers

* 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

* 300 g mozzarella

* 4-6 handfuls of rucolla

* balsamic vinegar

* salt'n'pepper

Ok, so we got over some of the pepper grilling steps. When the peppers cool of a bit. Drain the juices into a separate bowl, remove the charred skins, cut them lengthwise and remove the seeds. If more juice comes out - use them. Whisk 2 tablespoons of the pepper juice with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Or more pepper juice if preferred. 

The rest - my favorite part :). Toss the rucolla, mozzarella, place some peppers on top, sprinkle with the dressing, add a few drops of the balsamic vinegar to taste. Advisory - don't splatter if all over the salad - drizzle a bit on the sides. It will look good and you can dip into it as much as you like.

Bon appetit!

P.S. You will have to use your imagination for the image of the whole salad - unfortunately didn't make it to the photographing.