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From Karen Danielson:

"I developed this recipe after eating Lamb-on-a Rod at Frengel's in New Castle, Pa.  The lamb was served with this delicious pepper sauce on the side along with Syrian bread, used to "sop" up the juices.  Mick and Doris Shenker took us there for the first time and I was very excited about the pepper sauce.  I asked Frengel's for the recipe but they wouldn't give it to me-- so I decided I could make it without their help, and make it better.  It did turn out as well as Frengel's and maybe even better than theirs!  This is one of my recipes that was published in the magazine Bon Appetit in July, 1987."   (See Moment of Fame.)

"This a great accompaniment dish to have in the refrigerator as it goes well as a relish with dinner or great with crackers and cheese as an appetizer.  If this is your family's favorite kind of "thing", be prepared to make it again and again.  My friend Helen Errera made one recipe of it at Thanksgiving this year and ended up making it twice more before Thanksgiving week was over." 

Hot Pepper Salad

1  32-ounce jar hot pepper rings (reserve brine)
1 14-1/2 ounce can black olives, drained and sliced
1 8-ounce can mushroom stems & pieces, drained
3 garlic cloves, crushed then minced fine
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil   (Note #1)
salt to taste

Drain hot peppers reserving the liquid.  Place peppers, sliced olives, mushrooms, garlic, basil, red wine vinegar and canola oil in large bowl.  

Add just enough reserved pepper juice to the mixture to have liquid just cover ingredients.    Add salt to taste and mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.    Pass the Syrian bread! (Note #2)   

Serving suggestion:  Fill a hollowed out loaf of round bread (Tuscany, pumpernickel, rye) with the slightly drained peppers.  Arrange hollowed out loaf on a serving platter with the torn bread pieces and cubes of cheese arranged in a circle around the outside of the loaf.  Makes an attractive centerpiece that doesn't last long.  When the peppers are gone, tear up the remaining loaf
and eat the pieces. It will be nicely flavored with the pepper juice.

Note #1:   You can use olive oil instead of canola but it turns semi-solid when refrigerated and doesn't look as nice.  In this particular dish I prefer the canola because the olive oil has a little too strong a taste for my preference. 

Note #2:   Syrian bread is indigenous to this area.  If you can't find it, you can substitute a nice hard crust Italian bread or other crusty loaf.