With sunny, bright colours, sweet peppers and melting mozzarella, this easy dish can become a summer staple. It is particularly beautiful if the peppers are different colours, but it does not matter if they are all the same. You could also add a packet of lardons (smoked bacon pieces) to the recipe, and cook these for a few minutes before adding the peppers.
4 ripe peppers, ideally red, orange and yellow
3 tbsp olive oil
Sprigs of rosemary & thyme
2 balls fresh buffalo mozzarella
6 sprigs basil and flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper
You will need a shallow oven-to-table dish, as large as will fit in
the oven with ease.
Preheat oven to 175°C, set to Convection, rack position B.
Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and stalk and cut each
half into four or five strips, lengthways.
Heat the oil in the dish and cook the peppers gently for 20 minutes
or so with the herbs and salt and pepper, turning them over half
way through cooking. They should be soft and tender, not
charred.
Take out of the oven and remove any herb stalks. Tear the
mozzarella into small pieces, and tuck in and around the
peppers.
Return to the oven. Watch carefully for the mozzarella to melt
(which takes around 5 minutes) but don't allow it to
overcook and toughen.
Tear the basil and parsley leaves over the top. Serve hot, warm or
cold with a fresh grinding of black pepper.