Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad w/Roasted Pepper Dressing

Ingredients

• 8 Artichokes (medium size), prepared and cooked as directed for whole artichokes
• 4 Red bell peppers
• Lettuce leaves
• 1/2 c Red onion, sliced
• 1/2 c Ripe olives, sliced
• 1 Bell pepper (roasted), reserved from salad preparation (for Dressing)
• 1/3 c Balsamic vinegar (for Dressing)
• 1/4 c White wine or cider vinegar (for Dressing)
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced (for Dressing)
• 1 T Basil (fresh), chopped or 1 tsp. crushed dried basil (for Dressing)
• 1 t Rosemary (fresh), chopped or 1/2 tsp. crushed dried rosemary (for Dressing)

Preparation Instructions

Halve artichokes lengthwise; scoop out center petals and fuzzy centers. Remove outer leaves and reserve to garnish salad, or to use for snacks another time. Trim out hearts and slice thinly. Cover and set aside. Place whole bell peppers under preheated broiler; broil under high heat until charred on all sides, turning frequently with tongs. Remove from oven; place in a paper bag for 15 minutes to steam skins. Trim off stems of peppers; remove seeds and ribs. Strip off skins; slice peppers into julienne strips. Reserve one-fourth of the bell pepper strips to prepare dressing.

To assemble salads, arrange lettuce leaves on 8 salad plates. Arrange sliced artichoke hearts, remaining bell pepper strips, red onion and olive slices on lettuce. Garnish with a couple of cooked artichoke leaves, if desired.

For dressing, in blender or food processor container place reserved bell pepper strips, vinegars, garlic, basil, rosemary and sugar. Cover and process until well blended and nearly smooth. Spoon dressing over salads. Makes 8 servings.