Grilled Bell Pepper (Capsicum) Salad

I was at the market the other day, when I came across some very pretty looking lettuce, which I had never seen before. I am not very fond of salads (though I like the Indian versions like kosmalli/ koshimbir, raithas/ pachadi) and lettuce is probably my least favourite part of salads. Yet this particular lettuce was so attractive that I bought some, even though a little voice in my head kept telling me that I really shouldn't spend good money on something we don't like.







After coming home, I tried to figure out just what sort of lettuce I had bought. It looks like my lettuce goes by the name of "Lollo Rosso", and it features in this salad recipe. Does anyone know much about this lettuce and what else I could do with it other than use it in salad? I would appreciate any suggestion or more information.

My lettuce looks like some exotic coral and has ruffled light green leaves with a deep reddish brown colour towards the edge of the leaves.







Some days back, a friend who just discovered my blog and seems to be following it, asked if I could post something which was a bit sweet, had some nuts, was healthy and low on calories. I promised her I would think of something during the weekend, so M (I'm not sure she would want to see her name on the net), this salad is for you.



I had to use up the lettuce, and just made this salad by adding ingredients that I had on hand. I kept adding a bit of this and that, and so I have listed only approximate quantities. Do increase or decrease them according to your preference.





Ingredients:





1 green bell pepper/ capsicum



1 yellow bell pepper



1 red bell pepper



1 tsp oil (for grilling the capsicum)



about 10 cherry tomatoes, halved



some lollo rosso lettuce



a handful of chopped spring onion whites



a small handful toasted walnuts, broken



a small handful of golden raisins



a few leaves of mint



some low fat paneer, crumbled





For the dressing:



1 tsp olive oil



1 tbsp orange juice



1 tbsp balsamic vinegar



2 to 3 basil leaves, chopped



salt and crushed black pepper to taste







Method:





Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl (or a stoppered bottle) and whisk (or shake well a couple of times) and refrigerate till required.



Brush the bell peppers/ capsicum with the oil and grill them, till the surface starts blistering or light brown spots appear. Turn them a couple of times while grilling so they're uniformly cooked. Allow to cool, cut the peppers and remove the stalks and seeds. Dice the peppers.



Line your salad bowl with the lettuce. If you are not a lettuce lover, like us, you may prefer to tear the lettuce into smaller pieces or replace the lettuce with shredded cabbage. Of course, if you dislike cabbage then lettuce might be preferable. Lollo rosso lettuce has a faintly bitter taste (though it is not very noticeable in this salad), so you might want to use some other kind like iceberg lettuce.



Put the peppers and other ingredients, except the paneer, into the salad bowl.

Just before serving, whisk (or shake) the dressing a couple of times and add to the salad. Toss well so the dressing is well incorporated. Crumble the paneer and sprinkle it over the top. Mix a couple of times and serve.

This salad serves 3.



I have been a bit busy with various things during the past week, including guests at home and so haven't been able to find too much time for blog related matters. So please excuse me for slight delays in replying to your mails and acknowledging your submissions for FIC Orange. I shall also do my best to get around to checking what's been going on at your blogs as soon as I can.

I also want to thank Yasmeen of Health Nut who has been very nice to pass on a token of gratitude to me.