September is pepper season, and there’s nothing I like more this time of year than a full-flavored salad of roasted and smoked peppers.
Roasting peppers is one of the first things I did in volume in a professional kitchen, and what I learned from the chefs who taught me was that removing the skins from a pepper could be done in a variety of ways: You could char them on an open flame or on a grill ; you could roast the peppers in a very hot oven ; you could even throw them in the deep fryer. (This last method was frowned upon by more refined chefs; using the deep fryer for everything was the sign of a hack.)
The trick to properly roasting peppers is, first of all, to pick ripe peppers: Unripe peppers are more difficult to peel. The second trick is to keep an eye on them while they’re roasting: Don’t turn them often enough or over-char them and peppers will disintegrate in your hands.
Note: make sure the raisins in this recipe are plump and moist. If they are a little dry , rehydrate by simmering them for a few minutes in a small amount of water.
Roasted and Smoked Pepper Salad with Goat Cheese and Lime Vinaigrette
This salad uses an improvised stovetop smoker to smoke the Poblano peppers. If you find this takes too much of your time, buy some smoked roasted peppers at the store. Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers, cut into 6 strips each
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 6 strips each
1 Smoked Poblano pepper, cut into 12 strips
2 tablespoons minced red onion
¼ cup soft goat cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons coarse toasted breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons golden raisins
Handful watercress leaves
¼ cup lime juice
Zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper
⅔ cup canola oil
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Cut off the tops and bottoms of the red and yellow peppers. Make a horizontal cut in the red and yellow peppers. Open up the peppers and scrape out the seeds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For smoked poblano peppers: Roast the peppers. Season lightly with salt, then char over an open flame, turning often, until blackened all over. Place in a plastic bag and seal. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Place on a cutting board and using a paring knife or your fingers, scrape off the charred skin.
Soak a handful of fruitwood or hickory chips in a quart of cold water for an hour.
Line a baking pan with a piece of foil. Place a roasting rack inside the baking pan and cover the baking pan with another piece of foil or a lid and place on a burner over medium heat. When the pan begins to give off smoke, place the roasted, peeled Poblano peppers on the rack, tightly cover with foil, slightly lower the heat and smoke for about 45 minutes. Remove the peppers and refrigerate until ready to use. (You will have extra.)
For lime-cumin dressing: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the canola, then the extra- virgin olive oil. Refrigerate covered until ready to use.
To assemble the salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the red, yellow , and poblano peppers with enough Lime Cumin Dressing to coat. Add the red onion and golden raisins and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the pepper mix among 4 plates, neatly alternating the red, yellow and poblano peppers on each plate. Place a spoonful of goat cheese on top of the peppers and top the goat cheese with some of the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle each plate with a few watercress leaves and drizzle a little Lime Cumin Dressing on each plate. Serve immediately.
