Broccoli with Roasted Peppers, Capers, and Olives

(from The Greens Cookbook, by Deborah Madison, [Bantam, New York, 1987])

 

1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper	1 clove garlic, finely chopped
light olive oil, for the peppers	¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½  teaspoon marjoram	3 scallions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon capers	sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
12 pitted black olives	4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped	Balsamic vinegar to taste
1 ½ to 2 pounds broccoli	salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Halve the peppers lengthwise, remove the veins and seeds, and brush both sides with the light olive oil.  Set them on a baking tray skin side up and bake them until the skins are wrinkled and lightly colored.  When cool enough to handle, scrape off the skins.  Slice the peppers into strips ¼ to ½ inch wide, and mix them with the garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, capers, olives, scallions, parsley, marjoram, red pepper flakes, and the balsamic vinegar to taste.  Season with salt.

 

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil.  While it is heating, divide the broccoli into florets of equal size.  Trim the stalks by cutting off the tough, dried ends and removing the thick fibrous skins with a paring knife.  Slice the stalks diagonally into pieces about ¼ inch wide.  When the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of salt, and cook the broccoli in two or three separate batches for about 30 seconds.  Scoop out each batch and set it in a colander or on a tea towel to drain.

 

Combine the broccoli and the sun-dried tomatoes with the rest of the ingredients and toss them together.  Taste for salt, add more oil or vinegar, if needed, and a grinding of black pepper.  If you don’t plan to serve the salad right away, wait to add the final vinegar until just before serving to prevent the colors from fading.