Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

•3 - 5 Bunches Broccoli 

•Olive Medley (one med to lg jar)

•Roasted Red Peppers  (one med to lg jar)

•Sweet Cherry Peppers (one med to lg jar)

  (seed & rinse cherry peppers)

•Fresh Lemon Juice  (one or two whole lemons) 

•Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Boil the broccoli in salted water until just fork tender.  Rinse broccoli with cold water in a colander to stop the cooking process.

Drain broccoli and cut the hard bottom part of the stem off, then cut broccoli length-wise into long spears all the way down stem. Arrange broccoli in a deep-set platter (not a bowl). Squeeze the juice of one or two (depending or your taste) whole lemon(s) over broccoli. 

Layer your olive medley, roasted red peppers and sweet cherry peppers (seeded & rinsed) on top of broccoli. Be fairly generous with juices from the jars as these add to the flavor. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. 

Leave salad in layers do not mix. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for 4 to 8 hours so that flavors can blend.

Use a large serving fork making sure to get some of each layer onto your plate. Enjoy!

Notes

When this salad was prepared by my grandmother in Italy, it was simply made with chilled broccoli, fresh lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Garnished with lemon slices, it made a simple yet striking presentation on the table. It wasn’t until my family arrived in the U.S. that she started adding the olives and marinated peppers. The addition of olives, and marinated peppers, takes this dish to another level. It adds a depth of flavor and makes for a beautiful color combination. This salad presents as a beautiful antipasto platter.