Roast Pepper Peach Salad

Serves 4.

This is a dish from traditional Turkish cuisine, which frequently combines fruit with meat or vegetables. With local peppers and peaches both now on-stream, it's a perfect, cooling dish for late summer.

2 sweet green peppers
2 sweet red peppers
3 ripe peaches
3 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (25 mL) olive oil
2 teaspoons (10 mL) good balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) granulated sugar
Generous pinch mild paprika
Generous pinch hot cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons (25 mL) chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon (5 mL) chopped fresh dill

Char the peppers all over on a stove burner or barbecue. Seal them in a paper bag for 20 minutes, then slip off the skins, drain the peppers, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into strips.

You can skin the peaches, if desired, or leave them as is. Remove the pits and slice the peaches. Add them to the peppers, then dress with the remaining ingredients.

Toss gently, then cover and refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors combine. Let the salad warm for 15 minutes at room temperature, and serve.