Crisp, thick-skinned peppers prove versatile

Pale yellow bell peppers aren’t as prevalent as their orange and gold-colored siblings, adding an unexpected, light hue to veggie platters and pasta dishes.

They’re sweeter than green peppers and milder than red bell peppers.

Boxy, crisp and thick-skinned, they’re perfect for stuffing, dipping, grilling and roasting.

Raw, they add extra crunch – and vitamin C – to salsas and salads. They can even serve as an edible salad bowl. Use the hollowed-out, bell-shaped shell to house a colorful mix of chopped cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, farro or couscous or bulgur, cheese and other sweet peppers.

Tomato and Avocado Salad in Pale Yellow Sweet Bell Peppers

Adapted from Martha Stewart via Epicurious

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 small garlic clove, minced

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Coarse salt

1 firm, ripe avocado, halved and pitted

1/2 orange bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 large pale yellow sweet bell peppers, tops cut off and ribs and seeds removed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and cayenne. Season with salt.

Scoop out flesh from avocado halves and chop. Transfer to a bowl and add yellow or orange bell pepper, tomatoes, scallion and chopped cilantro.

Drizzle with dressing and season with salt. Gently stir to combine. Scoop mixture into hollowed pale yellow peppers, dividing evenly between each.

Garnish with whole cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Serves: 2 as a side or starter

Mediterranean Pepper Salad

From Smitten Kitchen

On her blog, Deb Perelman writes: “I put my own spin on this, of course. I omitted the green peppers because, well, they’re not my favorite and I quick-pickled the red onion to sweeten and soften its blow. But really, my favorite part of salads like this is is that they can be kept in the fridge already dressed, and only grow more deliciously marinated in a day or two. Should they last that long.”

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 a red onion, cut into a 1/2-inch dice (use less if your onion is huge)

3 bell peppers, your choice of colors

1 kirby cucumber

1/4 -pound firm feta cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup pitted kalmata olives

1 cup grape tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Swish together the red wine vinegar, water, kosher salt and sugar in a small bowl until the salt and sugar are dissolved.

Add the red onion and set it aside.

Meanwhile, time to practice your knife skills.

Core and seed your bell peppers and chop them into ½-inch pieces. Chop the cucumber and feta into similarly-sized chunks. Put your peppers, cucumber, feta, olives and tomatoes in a large bowl.

By now, your onions will have lightly pickled, both sweetening and softening their blow. Drain them and add them to the other vegetables in the large bowl, but reserve the vinegar mixture.

Pour a quarter cup of the vinegar mixture over the salad, then drizzle with olive oil.

Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, or to taste.

Toss evenly and serve at once, or let the flavors muddle together in the fridge for a few hours.