Mozzarella and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

As Marja and I enjoyed our snow day today, I was reflecting on last weekend's snow storm. My mom was in town (Pete and Jane got wasted with her, in fact) and since we were snowed in, we basically ate and drank the whole weekend. Our final meal together before she took her (delayed) flight home included this delicious salad. It is oh so good.

Materials:

1 cup dry white wine
2 T white raisins (these could be left out, if you ask me)
3 lbs red peppers (or roasted red peppers in a jar)
1.5 - 2 lbs drained fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T balsalmic vinegar
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure:

Simmer raisins and garlic in wine until tender. Let sit 15 minutes.
Char peppers if using fresh peppers.*
Cut peppers and mozzarella into 1 inch squares.
Roughly chop basil.
Combine peppers, mozzarella, and basil.
Whisk together wine solution, olive oil, and vinegar.
Toss all ingredients together, then add salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.

*To char peppers, I put them in the oven under broil and rotate them until the skin is blackened and blistered. You can also hold them over the gas flame of your stove until the same happens. Either way, once the skin blackens, put the peppers in a paper bag and close it to let the steam loosen the skins. Once they are cool enough to touch, peel the skin off.

This keeps fairly well, although the mozzarella may discolor. It is a perfect side dish to any Italian meal.

Thanks to Karin Maier for this recipe. Zach, she has our birthday, too, although it is a few years earlier.