Oven-Roasted Bell Pepper and Apricot Salad

Serves 4 | Preparation time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the oven-roasted salad:

•      4 yellow bell peppers

•      4 sprigs fresh sage

•      Olive oil

•      4 apricots

Let's Go Nuts Estella Schweizer

•      1 lemon

•      2 tbsp capers 

For the dressing:

•      5 tbsp high-quality mature balsamic vinegar

•      5 tbsp olive oil

•      2 tbsp light tahini (or blanched almond butter)

•      1 tbsp apricot jam (or maple syrup)

•      1 pinch cayenne pepper

•      ½ tsp salt 

Also:

•      3 ½ ounces (100 g) pine nuts

•      Freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 °C) (convection setting). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the bell peppers in half, remove the stalk and seeds, and cut into wide strips. Remove the sage leaves from the stalk and transfer to the lined baking sheet, along with the strips of bell pepper. Drizzle everything with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, halve the apricots, remove the stone, and slice into quarters. Slice the lemon crosswise into thin rounds and then slice into strips. When the peppers have baked for 15 minutes, add the apricots, lemon strips, and capers, toss to combine, and continue baking for another 15 minutes, then allow to cool slightly.

Stir together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, tahini, apricot jam, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Add some water as needed to make sure the consistency is creamy and not too thick. Gently toast the pine nuts in a small dry pan over moderate heat.

Arrange the warm, oven-roasted ingredients on a large platter. Drizzle with the dressing, season generously with pepper, and serve scattered with pine nuts. 

Tastes great with:

Toasted bread (as a starter), or pasta or couscous (as a main course).

Recipe taken from Let’s Go Nuts by Estella Schweizer (Prestel, April 2022).

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