Feasting On Roasted Peppers

by Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research

While travelling in Nice, I was surprised to discover pan bagna, a sandwich served in the Provence region in the south of France that strongly resembles the muffuletta. A satisfying meal, and a healthful one, too, this sandwich bears striking resemblance to another local classic, Salade Niçoise, which consists of tuna, tomato, olives and red pepper, all stuffed into crusty bread rubbed with garlic and brushed with olive oil. In some versions, the peppers were raw strips, in others, slabs of roasted pepper. In the best one, the peppers had been roasted and pickled in red wine vinegar, giving the pan bagna a mouth-watering tang.

During that trip, I feasted on other dishes made with roasted peppers, and composed picnic meals consisting of nothing but meaty red ones, glistening with oil, set on top of a length of split baguette spread with fresh goat cheese.

When I got home, sampling all the roasted red peppers available, I found those from jars and cans are ok. Those sold at the deli counter have more roasted flavor. But duplicating the smoky and sweet flavor and meaty firmness I enjoyed in France and Italy requires roasting fresh peppers at home. An open gas flame produces the best roasted peppers, but happily, using the oven or broiler on any stove, or a grill, also works well. And while I favor using local produce, the meatiest, sweetest roasted peppers, if you can find them, are the fleshier red, yellow and orange bell peppers from Holland and Israel. You will also find that each color, including green peppers, has a different flavor, with red the sweetest and green just nicely bitter.

Tuna and Roasted Pepper Sandwich - Makes 4 servings.

1 large green bell pepper
1 medium orange bell pepper
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 whole-wheat rolls
1 cup stemless baby spinach leaves
1 can (6 oz.) water-packed light tuna
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 large pitted green olives, sliced
1 thinly-sliced red onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Roast the peppers, whole, over a gas flame or on a grill, using tongs to turn them frequently, until blackened all over. Or, arrange halved and seeded peppers on a baking sheet and either roast at 500 degrees for 20 minutes or broil 4 to 5 minutes until they are blackened. Place the peppers in a large bowl, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes. Pull off as much skin as possible. Seed the whole peppers.

Cut the peppers into strips, and place them in a plastic container. Add the vinegar, garlic and 1 tablespoon of oil. Cover and refrigerate the peppers for 24 hours.

For the sandwich, split the rolls lengthwise. Arrange the spinach over the bottom half of each roll. In a bowl, mash the tuna with the oregano and remaining oil until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Press the tuna over the spinach. Arrange the olives and as many onion rings as desired over the fish. Scoop out most of the bread from the top half of the rolls. Pack it with as much of the roasted peppers as desired, pressing them down with a fork. Drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of the marinade from the peppers. Close the rolls, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 12 hours. Allow sandwiches to come to room temperature before serving.

Per serving: 209 calories, 9 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 29 g. carbohydrate, 6 g. protein, 5 g. dietary fiber, 296 mg. sodium.