Roasted Red Peppers with Plum Tomatoes & Basil

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 whole red peppers 
• 4 medium Italian Roma tomatoes 
• 4 whole anchovy fillets (optional) 
• 1 clove fresh garlic 
• 4 teaspoons of olive oil 
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper 
• 4 whole basil leaves, fresh 

Preparation

1. Cut the peppers in half, leaving the stalks on so they keep their shape.  Remove the seeds.  Lay the peppers on a lightly oiled roasting tray.  
2. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about 15 seconds.  Drain and put them in ice water till cooled.  Remove the skins.  Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place 4 pieces in each pepper half. 
3. Slice the garlic into slivers.  Divide the garlic among the peppers. 
4. Chop the anchovy fillets and add one fillet to each pepper. 
5. Spoon a teaspoon of olive oil into each pepper.  
6. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.  If you omitted the anchovy fillets, add some salt to each pepper. 
7. Bake in a 400F oven for about 1/2 hour. 
8. Transfer to a serving dish or individual plates and spoon juices from the pan over the peppers. 
9. Chop the fresh basil leaves and sprinkle on top of peppers before serving. 

Tips

• Before blanching tomatoes, core them at the top and cut an "x" across the bottom.  This makes them easier to peel. 
• Basil bruises easily so handle it lightly.  Roll the leaves up then finely slice them to get a nice 'chiffonade' - thin strips of basil. 

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Per Serving:  (1 pepper) 93 Calories; 5g Fat; 3g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber,;3mg Cholesterol; 159 mg Sodium