Roasted red peppers with mozzarella and pesto
Easy to construct, these filled, baked red peppers have a marvellous, vibrant flavour. Eat as a starter or as a light meal with bread to sop up the oil and juices. The flavour's better if you use long, tapering Ramiro peppers, but ordinary bell peppers are fine as well.
Ingredients
- 1 pepper
- 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small garlic clove, chopped
- 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
- a few capers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp pesto, or some basil leaves
- a few slices of mozzarella
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas 1. Slice the pepper in half lengthways and remove the ribs and seeds.
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Step 2
Place cut side up on a baking sheet and distribute the cherry tomatoes, garlic, anchovies and capers between the halves, then drizzle over the olive oil.
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Step 3
Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to colour.
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Step 4
Drizzle over the pesto if using (you may want to thin it with a little olive oil) then lay the slices of cheese over the peppers, and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
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Step 5
If using basil leaves, tear them up and scatter over the peppers just before serving.
