Roast the peppers:

I roast my peppers over a gas burner, turning them with tongs until they are completely blackened. You can do this, or broil them in your oven. Whatever method you use, take the utmost care. Open a window if necessary. Turn on the oven’s ventilation fan. Do not leave peppers unattended over open flames. Make sure small people and/or pets are not in harm’s way.

Once the peppers are completely blackened-this is a question of personal taste-move them to a heatproof plate or board. Allow to cool completely before peeling.

When peppers are cool, peel them over a bowl or dish, catching any juices. A clean damp cloth or paper towel helps with especially clingy seeds.

Tear peppers into strips and arrange (or not) on your favorite dish. Scatter feta over peppers.

If you aren’t eating immediately, you can either mix the dressing and pour it over the feta/peppers, allowing the salad to mellow for a few hours, or you can wait to dress it until serving time. If you plan to keep the salad for a few days, dress only the portion you plan to consume. Keep the dressing separate.

Either way, mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Taste: you may want to add more oil or vinegar/lemon for preference.

Feta is salty, so taste before adding salt, if any.

Dress the salad, add the parsley, and eat.

Notes, including a recipe variation with green beans:

You can make this salad with jarred roasted red peppers. If you cannot find raw red peppers, make this recipe using zucchini, yellow summer squash, or eggplant.

My feta was pretty salty, so I didn’t add any salt to my salad. Use your judgement.

My market sells feta cheese from the United States, Israel, Greece, France, and Bulgaria. I used cheese from the United States. While salty, it is otherwise mild. I would not use brined feta here, as it would be too strong.

If you cannot get feta or dislike it, ricotta cheese would work here.

Substitute lemon juice for the white balsamic.

You can go in another direction by using pomegranate molasses. Just be careful, as a little goes a long way.

To make this salad with green beans, top and tail as many fresh green beans as you want. Slice the green beans in half, if necessary. Steam, saute, oven roast, or stir fry the beans until they’re cooked to your liking: my husband likes them just done; I prefer them quite cooked.

The dressing for green beans is lemon juice and olive oil, mixed to your taste. Do not salt until you have added the feta cheese, as it is very salty.