Last night's dinner was perfectly formed. Just thinking about it makes me happy and content. The recipe was modified from one in this month's Delicious magazine, by Tom Norrington-Davies. He writes a monthly column on seasonal vegetables, often with brilliant but simple recipes. He is by far the best thing in the magazine - I've decided not to renew my subscription, but his column was almost enough to make me change my mind.

TND suggests serving this with a "softish, mildish cheese" or some oily fish like mackerel. We split a St Marcellin cheese between the two of us, and added piles of soft young rocket. A piece of chewy, slightly sour bread was excellent alongside.

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Cut the peppers lengthwise into about 6-8 pieces, removing the seeds, membranes and stems, but leaving the skin on. Place the peppers in a baking dish and toss with the garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and half the oregano leaves.

Cover the dish with alfoil and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the alfoil, give the peppers a toss, and return to the oven to roast uncovered for a further 15 minutes, or until the skins are wrinkling and the edges of the peppers are golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

While the peppers are resting, spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and cook for 5 minutes until they are golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, then crush them roughly using a mortar and pestle. Toss the hazelnuts through the peppers, along with the remainder of the oregano leaves. Taste for seasoning, and serve.

Serves 2 (or 4 as a side dish).

16 November 2004