Grilled Steaks With Sweet Mini Peppers And Cauliflower Puree

 Sweet mini peppers have just arrived! Everywhere from Costco to Target to your local grocery store they can be found in bags for a fairly reasonable price.  Not only are they one of the easiest side dishes to pull together but they are also full of flavor and will add an element of vibrant color to the plate.

One of the interesting things about mini peppers is that you don’t need to core them. There are practically no seeds making them a cinch to prepare.Just wash them, toss them in a bowl, and drizzle them with olive oil. Season them generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place them on the hot grill and cook them until they are tender and slightly deflated. The skins will blacken in spots, but that is totally okay. You can serve them like that or peel them, toss them in a bowl, add olive oil and lots of chopped basil.  Serve the grilled peppers as a side dish and in salads or sandwiches. They are good hot or at room temperature.

We just had the first steaks off the grill this weekend,  accompanied by Cauliflower Puree and these Grilled Mini Peppers.  A bottle of La Linda Malbec (see below), a gift from our friends at The Blue Remembered Hills, accompanied the meal.  To die for...

Grilled Mini Peppers


1 pint mini peppers, washed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
lots of chopped basil

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the peppers, and olive oil. Season with salt, and black pepper. Cook the peppers over a hot grill until the peppers are tender and their skin is blackened in spots. Serve immediately or at room temperature.  Alternatively, remove skin and toss in a bowl with more olive oil, salt and pepper and chopped basil.

La Linda is the second wine of Luigi Bosca, one of the premier producers of Argentinian Malbec.  A great value for the quality of this wine and a good candidate for your summer house wine.

Need I say more???