Spicy Flame-Grilled Bell Pepper & Tomato Salad

Twice cooked salad, yes twice!

Veggies flame-grilled on a gas stovetop until evenly charred. Blackened skins of peppers gently scraped away using the blunt side of a knife. Tomato skins more easily pulled away from juicy ripe inner flesh using one's fingers....

This hot and spicy side dish is based on Algerian H'miss but, instead of finely chopping the peppers some are given a rough dice and others a thick slice, thus the overall appearance becomes less dip-like more salad-like.....warm salad.
Smokey sweet bell peppers paired with fiery chilli, this is definitely a salad to keep you warm this autumn.

All coloured peppers would work for this dish, yet I ventured for the sweeter red (my favourite) and yellow variety. 

Finely chop juicy tomatoes, add both veggies to a pot that's already been warming a glug of extra virgin olive oil, pungent garlic, red hot chilli, a squeeze of north african harissa and a pinch of earthy cumin. 

Now it's just a matter of covering the pot with a lid, leaving over a low heat and letting the flavours get acquainted whilst the sauce / dressing reduces. 

I especially like this spicy salad warm, garnished with fresh coriander and served alongside grilled meats or poultry and my favourite bread however, It will taste just fine at room temp if your in warmer climes. 

                                      

Spicy Flame Grilled Bell Pepper & Tomato Salad 

Serves: 2 

Level: requires a bit of effort

1st cooking time: 10-15 mins

2nd cooking time: 10-15 mins

preparation time: 10 mins

total time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

2 bell peppers 

2 salad tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (NOT crushed)

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

glug of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon tomato paste

big pinch of ground cumin

harissa, to taste *optional

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Over a high flame on gas stove top, carefully place your peppers and tomatoes . Grill, using tongs turn veggies every few minutes until evenly charred, should take about 15 minutes Tomatoes will take less time than the peppers. In between turns chop garlic and chilli, set aside.
2. Once charred remove tomatoes and peppers, set aside on your chopping board. Put a pot with a lid over low heat add a glug of olive oil then add your garlic, chilli leave to fry over low heat until fragrant. 
3. Using the blunt/back side of your knife scrape the blackened skins off the peppers, chop / slice however you like. Add tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, harissa to pot cook for 1 minutes before adding peppers to pot stir and leave over low heat. Using your hands peel skins off tomatoes, remove any hard core, finely chop,  add to pot, stir then cover and leave to cook over low heat until sauce has reduced and is clinging to the peppers about 10 minutes.

P.S. different dish same familiar plate sorry  not sorry for my lack of food props/serveware also the fact all these photos are missing part of the plate, I do have an excuse.... I was hungry!