Time for tapas
I’ve been working up to this moment for over a year now. Everyone needs something to work toward, right? See, it was about one year ago when I went out to dinner at this lovely little restaurant. And while everything I ate was amazing, it all started out with the most delicious appetizer ever. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it was the appetizer that stole my heart that evening.
Really it was the simplest thing ever—a pile of flash fried Padron peppers, dressed in a generous sprinkle of crunchy sea salt and served up piping hot. The only reasonable thing to do was dig in, which I did with little hesitation, leaving poor seconds for my dining companion! I’d never had Padron peppers before, only heard little mentions here and there on food blogs. But I knew enough to order them up just as soon as I saw them. Since then, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my hands on my own supply of peppers.
The dead of winter doesn’t really seem like the most promising time to be thinking about peppers. But when you’re trying to track down seeds for something unusual like Padron peppers, you do what you have to do. Online searching, researching and ordering got me the seeds I needed and long before the first signs of spring began to show themselves outside, I started my own little indoor pepper garden. Fast forward to July and the plants began to stagger over the green beans in the garden, ladened with peppers. That’s when things really got tasty out in the garden!
At least once a week, there are enough peppers to feed the three of us. In fact, regular picking is important so things don’t get too spicy. It’s become a bit of an event, the evening we pick the peppers and have some tapas in the garden before I head back into the kitchen to finish up with dinner prep. It is a nice change of pace and I think I’ve shared my love of the peppers with a certain little boy!
In the only way I know how to cook the peppers, I heat a large skillet with a slick of oil on high heat. When it’s gathered enough heat, I throw in the peppers and slap down a lid to contain the splattering and hissing that immediately begins. Don’t crowd the peppers or they will just steam. You don’t want that. With enough room, they fry up nicely. Toss or shake the pan occasionally, but don’t be afraid of developing a little bit of a scorch of some sides of the peppers. Once the peppers puff up and some nice color developes, about 5 to 7 minutes, remove the peppers from the pan. Arrange them on a serving platter and sprinkle generosly with sea salt. Serve immediately, preferably with a glass of cava.
Two notes to finish things up:
- Once you’ve bothered to heat up a frying pan on a hot summer evening, consider finishing up some other dinner item in the pan once the peppers are done. Last night I threw in a few ears of cut corn kernels, which blackened up nicely in just a minute or two. Before that, I sautéed a few handfuls of green beans. Yummy!
- I know you are wondering about my beautiful towel featured in these pictures. My awesome sister MADE them for me! You know you want some, and now you know how to get them!
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