marietta brill

Moroccan Pepper Salad (Salade de Piments) is a spicy condiment of garlicky, semi-carmelized roasted peppers and tomatoes that my mother's Sephardic family served at virtually every holiday meal but is in perfect season in November. Plus it's an ideal counterpoint to roasted turkey, and is amazing on turkey sandwiches. Who knew?

Moroccan Salade de Piments
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking: 1-2 hours

Ingredients:
6 large peppers (green and red), roasted, seeded peeled and torn into 2" strips*
12 Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and cut into quarters*
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
pinch red pepper flakes
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high. Add garlic (and optional red pepper flakes) until scented, but not browned. Add peppers, tomatoes, and bay leaf to boil and immediately reduce heat to a slow simmer. After an hour, add sugar if needed and stir in tomato paste. Simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour, until tomatoes and peppers have softened, and a thick sauce has formed. Remove bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve at room temperature. Can be made a day or two in advance, as it benefits from storage. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.

*Prepare peppers: Set broiler on high and arrange peppers on a baking sheet 4-6” from flame, turning often until blackened. Place in a paper bag for 15 minutes to loosen skin. When cooled, remove from bag. Peel, core, seed, and cut into 2” strips.

*Prepare tomatoes: Score tomatoes. In a large pot of boiling water, submerge for 10 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon. When cooled, peel, core, seed, and cut into 2” strips.