Three Pepper Salad

This fresh, inspiring salad is an unusual fusion of flavors. Rice vinegar and sesame oil is unexpectedly paired with Mediterranean staples of fresh basil and goat cheese. I found a beautiful organic goat cheese with roasted portobello mushrooms at my local Mother's Market, but I've located a few nice ones for you, which are available through my Amazon store.
To be honest, I had misgivings about mixing these flavors, particularly after so many julienne cuts (although mine are a little wide here.) There was no need for worry---this recipe is a delight. While the recommended refrigeration time is 1 hour, I stored our unused portion in an airtight container, and the next day at lunch the flavors practically sung from my plate. I was tempted to lay it across a slice of lightly-oiled sourdough and pop it in the oven for a quick tartine.

1 red sweet pepper
1 yellow sweet pepper
1 orange sweet pepper
1 small sweet onion (Vidalia or Maui)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Sea salt, coarse
Black pepper, freshly ground
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (Try either a feta or chevre)

Julienne all sweet peppers and the onion place in a large bowl (See my How-To Guide for how to cut julienne.) Add basil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Add rice vinegar and sesame oil, stirring to mix well.
Cover and refrigerate approximately 1 hour before serving. To serve, toss salad again and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Food Fact! In the U.S., the term "bell pepper" or "pepper" or "capsicum" is often used for any of the large, bell-shaped capsicum fruits, regardless of their color. Cultivars of the plant produce peppercorns which develop into fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, green and orange. Because they are unripe, green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow, orange, purple or red peppers. Other sweet pepper varieties include cachucha, European sweet, bull horn (thin, curved and green); Cubanelle (long, tapered, yellow to red); and sweet banana pepper (long, yellow, banana-shaped).

When selecting, skin should be firm without any wrinkles, the stem fresh and green, and they should feel heavy for their size. Unwashed bell peppers stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator will stay fresh for about a week.