Roasted Red Peppers with Feta

There is a roasted red pepper with feta dish that I love from a Philadelphia restaurant called The Continental. It's a swanky joint with some amazing food. Inspired by this dish, I made my own version enhancing the flavors with the seasoning blends.

INGREDIENTS:

½ Teaspoons French Made Easy or Any of Our Blends
3 red peppers
¼ Cups olive oil
1½ Teaspoons fresh thyme
½ Cups feta cheese, crumbled (use more if you prefer)
¼ Teaspoons balsamic vinegar
½ Lemon, juiced

DIRECTIONS:

Here are the ingredients you need (missing in photo: lemon and balsamic vinegar). This dish is AWESOME. Very simple and easy to make.

Preheat your oven or toaster oven to about 400 degrees. Place the peppers on a baking dish. Roast the peppers until they are charred and the skin is peeling off.

• Using a Toaster Oven - about 20 minutes 
• Using a conventional oven - 30 minutes or so

But keep an eye on them. Once they start to char, it goes pretty fast. Turn the peppers ever 10 minutes or so. If you have a grill nearby, use it - the flavor from charcoal makes this dish even better!

After roasting, put peppers in a bag, or place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap then let them sit for about 15 minutes. It helps loosen the skin so you can peel it off. Peel them under the faucet to easily wash away the seeds.

Chop the peppers into bite size pieces. Rustic is good so don't stress making everything uniform. Place in a bowl.

Use 1/2 teaspoon our secret ingredient: French Made Easy. (Here is another secret - this recipe is awesome with  ANY of our blends. So use whatever one you have, if you don't our French blend.)

Add 1/4 cup or so of olive oil. But use a good oil that you like the flavor of. You can use a little less or a little more oil if you prefer.

Take the thyme and grab it at the tip of the stem. Pull your finger down the stem to remove the leaves. They come off easier if you go from top to bottom, against the direction they grow. Then chop.

If you are going to eat right away - add the feta, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and thyme. Gently mix or fold the ingredients together. If you are eating this later, hold off on the feta and add it just before you serve it up!

Toast up some bread. Cut some pita up. Dive in with a spoon, spread on a sandwich, or serve with some dried meats and roasted veggies. Whatever way you decide to eat this, you will be happy you did!

** Another recipe that can be made with any of our blends.  We have made it with Italiano Pronto, Mediterranean Magic, Go Greek and Smokin' Chipotle.