June 2010 . Pimentos de Padrón
One of my favorite stalls at the farmers’ market is East Palo Alto’s Happy Quail Farms. They have the best looking, best tasting peppers that my eyes and mouth have ever feasted on. During the winter months, they take a break from the farmers’ market circuit (at least at the Ferry Building, which makes me a bit sad), but they come back every summer with beautiful bright peppers. Normally, I buy a few sweet bell peppers to stuff, sauté or add to a salad, but last week I asked about these little pimientos de padrón and learned quite a bit!
June 2010 . Pimientos de Padrón
These peppers are a little sweet, a little spicy, but pack a whole lotta punch in flavor. They are great as tapas and are quick to whip up. All that you need to do is heat a frying pan with olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and throw the peppers in whole. When white blisters appear on the pepper skins, then they are ready to eat.
Serve on a plate with coarse salt (I added ground black pepper–I do like my foods to have that extra kick) and enjoy with a side of cheese, a frosty beer, or a glass of red wine.
Normally something like this is great as an appetizer with friends, but I’m not going to lie–I ate all these peppers in one sitting! These little guys are now part of my ‘usual’ market list!
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