Dinner date for one and a half

Sean is out of town this week for work and Penny and I have been on the couch watching a lot of girly TV as a result. We also have been ordering books from Amazon.com for a little late summer reading, including Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book, Julia Child’s My Life in France and James Ellroy’s American Tabloid.

Still, I have about a dozen bell peppers from the CSA in my fridge that stare me down every time I open the vegetable drawer. Stuffed peppers? Too lazy to make them. Ratatouille? Way too lazy to make it. Peppers that can be roasted on an open flame without dirtying a pan, served with a side of torn bread? Ahhh, perfect dinner for a lazy couple of gals.

You can omit the anchovies if they make you cringe, but I think they add this great, briny punch to the otherwise mellow, sweet flavors of this little salad. Tear off hunks of bread, scoop up the pliable strips of pepper and anchovy, and sop up a little garlicky oil. Heavenly.

Roasted sweet peppers with garlic and anchovies

2 medium whole bell peppers (red and yellow)
1 clove garlic, very thinly sliced
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
1/2 cup torn basil leaves, divided
Salt and pepper, as needed
4 anchovy fillets, quartered
Crusty bread, for serving

Method: Place the bell peppers directly over the flame of a gas-stove burner on high heat or on a grill. Roast the peppers, turning them with tongs, until blackened all over.

Place the peppers in a large ziplock bag and set aside to steam for 15 or 20 minutes. Peel the peppers, discarding the blistery skins. Remove the stems, seeds, and ribs, and cut each pepper lengthwise into strips.

Toss the peppers in a bowl with the garlic and about 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil. Sprinkle with half the basil and set aside to marinate for an hour, or up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Just before serving, toss the peppers with the remaining basil. Arrange the peppers on a platter, and lay the anchovy strips on top. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and serve with torn hunks of crusty bread.