Roasted Pepper Salad

This is an adaptation of a dish I saw Giada deLaurentiis make on her show one day. I think she adds chopped kalamata olives, but I love lots of capers and toasted pine nuts in my version. It's wonderful to use bell peppers of different colors - I used red and yellow here. (I wouldn't use green bell pepper - I don't think it would be sweet enough.) You can roast them on a baking pan in a hot oven, turning them occasionally with a pair of tongs to make sure they get blackened on all sides. Or cook them all on a grill. I have a gas stove and often roast them right on the burners. Whichever option you choose, roast about 5 or 6 peppers. Once blackened, put them in a paper bag, close, and set aside to cool. Once cool, peel and seed the peppers, and thinly slice. Add 1 - 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 -2 tablespoons chopped basil, 2 - 3 tablespoons of capers, 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, salt & pepper, all to taste. Add about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and stir. Serve over crostini.

I had made homemade Italian bread and sliced the loaf thinly on an angle. Drizzle sliced bread with olive oil and toast under the broiler. Yum!