Zorongollo: Spanish Roasted Pepper Salad

How to roast the peppers

1. Zorongollo takes a lot of red bell peppers. Sometimes 1-2 pods of hot pepper are added if you like; it’s a matter of taste. For one serving you’ll need 3-4 large, fleshy peppers.

   

   The special flavor of this appetizer comes from peppers roasted over a fire or coals. A home grill will do. Another option that gives very good results is an electric pepper roaster, such as the Bulgarian “chushkopek”.

2. Roast the peppers until the surface is charred on all sides. You can also bake them in the oven at about 200 °C until the surface turns black. Immediately put the peppers in a plastic bag or an airtight container, close it and leave until they cool.

   

How to prepare the tomatoes

1. Although ripe tomatoes are considered a secondary addition, they improve the flavor of the appetizer considerably, so I recommend using them. It’s important that the tomatoes are very ripe, with no white patches. In a pinch, you can use canned tomato pulp.

2. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water and peel off the skin. Large tomatoes can simply be peeled with a sharp knife. The seeds won’t spoil the dish, but you can remove them if you like.

   

3. Fry the tomatoes: cut them into wedges, put them in a pan greased with olive oil and fry over medium heat until they release their juice and turn soft.

   

How to put the appetizer together

1. While the tomatoes are frying, peel the charred skin off the cooled peppers. It comes off easily, even at a light touch. Cut the flesh into narrow strips and put it in a small bowl. Zorongollo is very convenient to serve in a small soup bowl.

   

2. Add the fried tomato pulp to the peppers, season with a pinch of salt and mix lightly.

4. Make the dressing: mix 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 2-3 drops of balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp of dry sherry and a quarter cup of the very best olive oil. Whisk the mixture with a fork and pour it over the appetizer.

5. Toss the tomatoes and peppers lightly with the dressing and put in the fridge. The appetizer is served cold, so it should chill for at least a few hours. Even better, make it the day before.

   

Serving

1. Just before serving, put thinly sliced sweet white onion on top of the vegetables. Red onion and green onion tops are often used too. The onion is not mixed into the appetizer.

2. Put half a hard-boiled egg on the vegetables and drizzle with a little olive oil. By the way, there is quite a lot of oil in this appetizer. If you like, add a little freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with chopped herbs, most often parsley.

   

   The appetizer is served with bread, more often fresh, but lightly dried bread works very well too. It’s a complete light dish, served very cold, ideal in hot weather. It can be served as a side dish for fried fish or meat. As extras you can use canned tuna, various olives or pickled hot pepper.