November 30, 2005
Spicy Hot!
How many padrone peppers does it take to set my mouth, lips, and throat on fire? According to statistics, 1 out of every 10 peppers will be spicy hot. Nobody knows how to tell which one or why this happens so every pepper is a surprise. For me, it was lucky number 7!
We were first introduced to the padrone peppers at Manresa and found them to be particularly exciting! A culinary gamble if you will. So imagine our delight when we found them being sold at the Mariquita Farm stall at the SF Ferry Building Farmers' Market. We bought a bag of them and cooked them immediately upon arriving home. We heated up about a half an inch of vegetable oil in the tall pot and tossed in the peppers. The peppers were cooked until the skin appear soft and blistered all round. We sprinkled the peppers liberally with fleur de sel and consume them immediately with a big glass of cold milk nearby. :)
Hi J - I LOVE those peppers and always order them when I go to tapas bars. I'd love to cook them myself but you can't seem to find them in the UK (sigh). I think the statistics is quite right... your photos are gorgeous, as always!
Posted by: keiko at December 8, 2005 07:13 PM