Fire Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant Sauce

This lovely orange sauce is sweet and savory with a silky texture from the eggplant.  Use it on pizza or pasta, or simply as a dip for pita chips.

3 red bell peppers
1 medium eggplant, pierced in a few places with a sharp knife
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Start by roasting the peppers and eggplant over a hot fire on the grill, turning as needed.  You want to blacken the skin of the peppers all the way around.  For the eggplant, roast until the skin is blackened and the eggplant is very soft.  The peppers and eggplant should take around the same amount of time.  Let the peppers and eggplant cool until you can handle them comfortable.

Peel the skin off the peppers and discard the stem and seeds.  For the eggplant, either peel off the skin or cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh.  Puree the skinned peppers and eggplant in a food processor.  Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and puree until very smooth.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.