Zorongollo Extremeño

Zorongollo Extremeño belongs to Extremadura, and it is not the Murcian zarangollo with courgette and egg, no matter how close the names sound. This one is a summer salad of roasted red peppers and tomatoes, peeled warm, torn or cut into strips, and dressed simply with garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, onion, and hard-boiled egg. The sweetness comes from fire and rest, not from adding things.

The method that decides it is the peeling while the peppers are still warm. Roast them until the skins blister and blacken in places, then cover them so they sweat. That little rest loosens the skin and keeps the flesh soft and glossy. Peel them over a bowl, because the juice that runs out is part of the dressing. Throw that away and the salad tastes thinner.

If you are far from Extremadura, use the best thick red bell peppers you can find, ripe tomatoes in season, and a good sherry vinegar. If the tomatoes are poor, roast only the peppers and add a little more pepper juice to the dressing; sad tomatoes do not improve a salad by being included. No hace falta haber pisado España. Let it sit at least an hour before serving. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.