Roasting Red Peppers
Roasting peppers intensifies their flavor, making them a delicious addition to otherwise raw salads. Here is our trick for roasting them, along with a recipe for Savory Lentils With Goat Cheese, which features chopped, roasted red peppers.
How to Roast:
Remove stem and cut pepper in half, lengthwise.
With a small knife, cut away the white pith and remove all the seeds.
With the palm of your hand, smash each half so it lies as flat as possible.
Place halves, cut-side down, on a cookie sheet, then put sheet under the broiler, on high. Stand by while peppers broil to black.
When black, remove from oven and throw peppers in a paper bag to cool. Once cool, the uncharred flesh will shrink away from the charred exterior. Cut away remaining black bits with the knife.
Savory Lentils With Goat Cheese
Ingredients
3/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/4 tablespoons chopped roasted red peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/8 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of one lime
3 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
2 radicchio leaves for garnish
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, place the lentils, salt, and black pepper in 1 1/2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still have texture. Remove from the heat and drain. In a medium bowl, mix the lentils, roasted peppers, garlic, cilantro, onion, and chives. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, olive oil, and lime juice. Toss together with the lentil mixture. Before serving, fold in goat cheese. Arrange radicchio leaves on a plate. Spoon the lentil salad onto the radicchio and serve.
B-man 
