This is the time of year when one of my favorite seasonal foods, the Padron pepper makes its very short, annual appearance.
By the way, in the video I refer to them as "Padrones," which is what I've always called them, and what the guy I always bought them from at the SF Farmers' market called them. However, they are more commonly called Padron peppers (just in case you are calling around looking for some).
What follows is a repost from 2008...
Padrones are small green peppers, native to Spain, but occasionally available in American farmer's markets. The season is short, and in just a few weeks they disappear, like some mysterious, charismatic visitor, leaving just as things are heating up. They tell you they'll see you next year, but that doesn't help the melancholy as you mope over to the jalapenos.
In addition to their complex, bitter-sweet flavor, the usually mild padrones are the world's most exciting pepper to eat. This is due to a fascinating genetic oddity - one out of every dozen or so peppers is really spicy!
So, there you are, happily enjoying your time with this sexy, soft-spoken Spaniard, and wham! Out of nowhere you get slapped in the face! By the way, if this metaphor is ever made into a movie, Penélope Cruz will be playing the part of the temperamental pepper.
As you'll see in the video, a simple preparation is recommended. A quick sizzle in hot olive oil, and a few flakes of "Fleur de Sel" sea salt is all that's needed with this late summer treat. Too many ingredients, and the flavor will not be fully enjoyed. Think about it, in the movie, should Penélope Cruz be in a 3-piece suit, or a simple cotton sundress? Enjoy!
A special thanks to Steve Eliot for his generous gift of these beautiful padrones.
If you watch as much food television as I do, you hear the adjective "sexy" thrown around quite a bit, and more often than not, it just doesn't fit. No matter how nice a bowl of chili looks, or how beautifully a game hen glistens, they're not really "sexy."
This burrata bruschetta with grilled figs on the other hand? Totally "sexy!" If there were such a thing as word association flash cards of food, the most common result for this one would be "sexy." Okay, I'm going to stop using those quotation marks now. Above and beyond how awesome this recipe tastes, it's so nice to be able to post such an aesthetically pleasing dish after the recent string of homely food. I appreciate all the nice comments about the sausage and zucchini stew, but if that thing was a blind date, it would have been described as, "having a nice personality."
Depending on the location, I can't guarantee you'll be able to find burrata and fresh black mission figs, but if you can, you really need to give this a try. I know someone will ask, so I'll tell you right now, there really isn't a great substitute for this heavenly cheese.
A very fresh mozzarella would be the closest, but it would still be like substituting for Beyonce with Wanda Sykes. That's no insult to Wanda Sykes (she has a great personality), but in the sexy department, Mrs. Jay-Z is in a whole other league, and so is this burrata and grilled fig bruschetta. Enjoy!
Ingredients: burrata cheese fresh figs Italian bread balsamic vinaigrette (1 part vinegar to 1 part extra virgin olive oil - shaken vigorously) salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Cooking isn’t about always doing the right thing, and this summer scramble is a perfect example. Adding juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes to a scramble tastes great, but it's not a common practice since having a pool of liquid under your eggs is considered bad form. I don’t care – I have toast.
I could have used the slow, low-heat scrambling method I've demonstrated before, and tossed in the tomatoes and feta in right at the end, but I don’t feel the tomatoes and cheese really get heated all the way through. Besides, did I mention I had toast? Soaking up all that goodness is a big part of why I love this so much.
Anyway, cherry tomatoes are peaking right now, and the "Sweet 100's" variety I used here are, without a doubt, the sweetest fresh tomato you can buy at a grocery store. In fact, make that the only sweet, fresh tomato you can buy at a grocery store.
As I suggest in the video recipe, make sure you have all your prep done before a pan is placed over the flame. Start to finish, this will only take a minute to cook, and trying to slice and dice while the eggs are in the pan is a recipe for disaster. I hope you give this colorful, summer breakfast a try soon (or you'll have to wait until next year). Enjoy!
Ingredients per portion: olive oil 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon basil chiffonade 2 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese (try to find goat's milk feta - it's awesome) pinch of hot pepper flakes flaky sea salt to taste
I've decided to determine the length of my blog posts by the beauty of the recipe displayed therein. It's a very logical system. If a recipe produces a batch of stunningly beautiful photos, then I'll write a long, wordy post (including gratuitous name-dropping and self-serving anecdotes) to give the reader plenty of time to soak it all in.
However, if the recipe looks like this Sausage, Potato, and Zucchini Stew, then the shorter the post, the better – a couple of short sentences and on to the video. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but not in this case. Visually, this is truly dreadful. It's a good thing this vegetable stew is so easy, nutritious, and delicious!
I used a spicy, garlicky andouille sausage here, but any spicy link will do. We've covered the glut of late summer zucchini before on this blog, and this is another great remedy. Well, I've subjected you to this grotesque image long enough, so I'll mercifully end the post. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound spicy smoked sausage 1 onion, chopped 6 zucchini, cut in 2-inch pieces 1 1/2 pound small Yukon gold potatoes, cut same size as zucchini 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth water as needed salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 bay leaf few springs of fresh thyme 1 tablespoon sliced fresh chives (and/or any fresh herb) handful of "sweet 100" cherry tomatoes *some crusty bread wouldn't be a bad idea
I knew today's video recipe was called Italian Wedding Soup because it's traditionally served at weddings, but I wanted to find out why this soup, with these ingredients in particular, was chosen.
I had a few theories. I figured the greens probably represented money, and symbolized hopes that the bride and groom would enjoy a prosperous union. The soup's signature mini-meatballs were a tougher nut to crack.
How could taking large, virile, normal-size meatballs and shrinking them down to dainty little shriveled dumplings serve as a metaphor for marriage? I just don't see a connection. Well, come to find out (according to two reliable sources; Wikipedia, and my friend and fellow About.com Guide, Kyle) the name has nothing to do with people getting married.
Apparently, what we Italian-Americans from the northeast call Italian Wedding Soup is actually a misinterpretation of an Italian soup called, "minestra maritata," which basically means "married soup." The "married" refers to the delicious pairing of the greens and meat, and not the ritual of marriage.
So, the soup ended up being a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. What better choice for a first course at your Italian-American wedding reception than something called Italian Wedding Soup?
That should give you enough soup-related cocktail party conversation material for a while. Whether you fondly remember this from weddings past, or you've never had it or heard about it before, I really hope you give it a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 quart beef broth 1 quart chicken broth Note: A little more or little less broth will not affect the recipe 1/3 cup pastina or other tiny pasta 1 bunch kale salt and pepper to taste For the meatballs: 1 1/4 pound beef 1 egg 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup cream 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 tbsp fresh parsley 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
This is the time of year when one of my favorite seasonal foods, the Padron pepper makes its very short, annual appearance.
So, there you are, happily enjoying your time with this sexy, soft-spoken Spaniard, and wham! Out of nowhere you get slapped in the face! By the way, if this metaphor is ever made into a movie, Penélope Cruz will be playing the part of the temperamental pepper.
