S Saltbox
Zucchini and bell peppers on a barbecue grill — Boris Ivas on Pexels

Grilled Zucchini Ribbons

Nell Prakash 25 minutes
Toasts topped with chopped tomato and herbs — Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

Herbed Farro Toasts

Nell Prakash 15 minutes

Members cook the whole archive.

$1.40 a week, billed yearly.
Rotini pasta salad with peppers and herbs — Engin Akyurt on Pexels

Orzo Picnic Salad

Dario Fenn 35 minutes
Oil and vinegar poured from glass cruets onto a plate — Ron Lach on Pexels

Miso-Lemon Dressing

Priya Venkataraman 10 minutes

Easy

Smoky Chickpea Salad With Charred Peppers

By Marguerite Doyle

Yield4 servings Time15 minutes

Borrowed from the vinegar-slicked bean salads of the Adriatic coast, this version leans on peppers blistered straight over the burner. Letting the strips sit in sherry vinegar and coarse salt for a few minutes gives them a quick-pickle snap without softening the bite.

The same vinegar becomes the dressing once it meets the oil clinging to the chickpeas. Celery leaf and torn parsley keep everything bright — good on its own, better spooned over grilled bread or folded through warm orzo.

Featured in: 14 Cold Salads for a Hot Kitchen.

Chickpeas, arugula and roasted pepper spooned over a stone plate — Sylwester Ficek on Pexels
Sylwester Ficek on Pexels for Saltbox. Food styling by Theo Ruiz. Prop styling by Lena Ostrowski.

Ingredients

For the peppers

  • 2red bell peppers, charred, peeled and torn into wide strips
  • 1long green chile, thinly sliced into rings
  • 3 tbspsherry vinegar
  • ¾ tspflaky salt, plus more to finish

For the salad

  • 2 canschickpeas (15 oz each), drained, ⅓ cup liquid reserved
  • 3 tbspolive oil, the peppery kind
  • 2 ribscelery, sliced on a sharp angle, leaves kept
  • ½ cupflat-leaf parsley, torn at the last minute
  • 1 tspsmoked paprika

Preparation

  1. Set the peppers directly on a gas burner or under a hot broiler and turn them until the skins blacken all over, about 8 minutes. Slide them into a bowl, cover, and let them steam for 5 minutes before rubbing the skins away.
  2. Tear the peppers into wide strips and toss with the chile rings, vinegar and flaky salt. Leave them alone for at least 6 minutes — they will slacken and take on a quick-pickle edge.
  3. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil with the smoked paprika in a small pan over low heat until it smells toasted, roughly 90 seconds. Pull it off the heat before the paprika darkens.
  4. Fold the chickpeas, celery and warm paprika oil into the peppers along with a splash of the reserved chickpea liquid. Taste, then add vinegar or salt until the dressing tastes one notch sharper than comfortable.
  5. Add the parsley and celery leaves right before serving, finish with flaky salt, and let the salad sit 10 minutes at room temperature so the flavors settle.
Cook's note

Jarred piquillo peppers work when the burner is not an option — drain them well and cut the vinegar to 2 tablespoons, since they arrive already acidic.