Shishito Peppers

At Cochon (one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans) we were offered a side dish of shishito peppers served in a cream sauce with toasted panko bread crumbs. Never had I heard of shishito peppers, but they were so good. I read that I could find them in Asian markets, the peppers being Japanese. I decided to go to the Vietnamese market again (where I had visited before) but found no peppers. Whole Foods didn’t have them either. The Crescent City Market in New Orleans was open on Magazine Street that Saturday morning and there I found my peppers. The lady with the peppers had been growing them for several years and gave us her source as Johnny’s Seeds. Of course my husband has ordered some. We’ll see if we can get them to produce this summer. I think it is not too late.

Shishito peppers have popped up on numerous restaurant menus in the past several years. They are slender, finger-length green pods with thin skins and a sweet flavor. They are not hot! Maybe one In ten will be hot but nothing to make you inhale. Theories vary on why some are spicier, but growing conditions that are hotter and drier are considered likely factors.

As the name would suggest they are a Japanese pepper and a Japanese varietal is now gown in the United States and can be found in midsummer through fall. Best of all they are a cinch to prepare.

The simplest way: Char-grill or pan-sear them with a touch of oil until they sport a few blisters, then sprinkle with a bit of kosher or sea salt. Grab the stem, pop the pepper in your mouth, bite, and smile.

Shishitos are great to share at summer parties. Typically offered as a starter, they can be used in side dishes (like at Cochon) or salads.

One cooking tip: Puncture each pepper with a small hole before cooking-a fork tine will work just fine. This will allow steam to vent from the peppers as they cook and keep them from splitting.

 

Some fancier shishito pepper recipes are as follows:

Soy-Ginger Shishito Peppers

Serves 4

1 pound shishito peppers

½ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon zested fresh ginger

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Sauté the shishito peppers over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

Next, whisk the remaining ingredients except for the breadcrumbs together in a small bowl. Pour this sauce over the shishitos, and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the peppers are tender and the sauce begins to thicken into a glaze.

Toast the breadcrumbs over medium high-heat for 4-5 minutes.

Sprinkle atop the shishitos and serve.

 

Shishitos with Tomatoes and Olives

Serves 4

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 pound shishito peppers

Dash of rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced shallots

1 clove minced garlic

1 cup cherry tomatoes, haled

½ cup cured and pitted black olives, preferably a Greek variety

Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Heat the grapeseed oil in a 10-inch pan over medium heat. Add the shishitos and sauté 2-3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and olives, and cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste after plating.  Serve hot or chilled.

 

Grilled Shishito Peppers

Serves 4

1 pound shishito peppers, left whole

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided

1 tablespoon coarse or flake salt, such as Maldon or kosher

¼ cup finely chopped almonds

Directions:

Heat a grill to high.

In a large bowl, combine the peppers and 1 tablespoons of the oil. Swirl and toss the peppers until evenly coated with the oil.

Using tongs, arrange the peppers on the grill so they lay across the directions of the grates (not with them). The goal is to prevent the peppers from falling through the grates. Cook, turning often, until the peppers begin to brown and blister, about 4-6 minutes.

Return the peppers to the bowl (no need to wipe it out). Add the remaining oil, the salt and almonds, then toss well. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Look for the peppers where you may find unusual vegies or as we are doing, get some seed and grow your own.

 

 

At Cochon (one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans) we were offered a side dish of shishito peppers served in a cream sauce with toasted panko bread crumbs. Never had I heard of shishito peppers, but they were so good. I read that I could find them in Asian markets, the peppers being Japanese. I decided to go to the Vietnamese market again (where I had visited before) but found no peppers. Whole Foods didn’t have them either. The Crescent City Market in New Orleans was open on Magazine Street that Saturday morning and there I found my peppers. The lady with the peppers had been growing them for several years and gave us her source as Johnny’s Seeds. Of course my husband has ordered some. We’ll see if we can get them to produce this summer. I think it is not too late.

Shishito peppers have popped up on numerous restaurant menus in the past several years. They are slender, finger-length green pods with thin skins and a sweet flavor. They are not hot! Maybe one In ten will be hot but nothing to make you inhale. Theories vary on why some are spicier, but growing conditions that are hotter and drier are considered likely factors.

As the name would suggest they are a Japanese pepper and a Japanese varietal is now gown in the United States and can be found in midsummer through fall. Best of all they are a cinch to prepare.

The simplest way: Char-grill or pan-sear them with a touch of oil until they sport a few blisters, then sprinkle with a bit of kosher or sea salt. Grab the stem, pop the pepper in your mouth, bite, and smile.

Shishitos are great to share at summer parties. Typically offered as a starter, they can be used in side dishes (like at Cochon) or salads.

One cooking tip: Puncture each pepper with a small hole before cooking-a fork tine will work just fine. This will allow steam to vent from the peppers as they cook and keep them from splitting.

 

Some fancier shishito pepper recipes are as follows:

Soy-Ginger Shishito Peppers

Serves 4

1 pound shishito peppers

½ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon zested fresh ginger

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Sauté the shishito peppers over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

Next, whisk the remaining ingredients except for the breadcrumbs together in a small bowl. Pour this sauce over the shishitos, and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the peppers are tender and the sauce begins to thicken into a glaze.

Toast the breadcrumbs over medium high-heat for 4-5 minutes.

Sprinkle atop the shishitos and serve.

 

Shishitos with Tomatoes and Olives

Serves 4

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 pound shishito peppers

Dash of rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced shallots

1 clove minced garlic

1 cup cherry tomatoes, haled

½ cup cured and pitted black olives, preferably a Greek variety

Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Heat the grapeseed oil in a 10-inch pan over medium heat. Add the shishitos and sauté 2-3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and olives, and cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste after plating.  Serve hot or chilled.

 

Grilled Shishito Peppers

Serves 4

1 pound shishito peppers, left whole

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided

1 tablespoon coarse or flake salt, such as Maldon or kosher

¼ cup finely chopped almonds

Directions:

Heat a grill to high.

In a large bowl, combine the peppers and 1 tablespoons of the oil. Swirl and toss the peppers until evenly coated with the oil.

Using tongs, arrange the peppers on the grill so they lay across the directions of the grates (not with them). The goal is to prevent the peppers from falling through the grates. Cook, turning often, until the peppers begin to brown and blister, about 4-6 minutes.

Return the peppers to the bowl (no need to wipe it out). Add the remaining oil, the salt and almonds, then toss well. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Look for the peppers where you may find unusual vegies or as we are doing, get some seed and grow your own.

 

 

Blueberries

Blueberry Buckle evolved into dessert during the nineteenth century. While other summer fruit desserts like crumbles, crisps, and cobblers involve oats, breadcrumbs, or biscuits, buckles take a hard turn toward cake. James Beard maintained that buckles and grunts are one and the same. They can be made in a snap by tossing fruit into a simple cake batter and topping it was streusel, not unlike a coffee cake.

Blueberries and huckleberries are native to North America. They once grew so profusely that there was no need to cultivate them. Most southern blueberries are now harvested from carefully tended wild strands or from cultivated varieties descended from the original wild ones.

Plentiful berries were sustenance food for Native Americans and the earliest explorers and colonists. Native Americans knew how to dry blueberries in the sun, and later they sold them to English settlers who used them in place of currants in their recipes.

Blueberry Buckle probably was created by the colonists as a hankering for a taste of home-steamed puddings, minced pies, fools, flummeries, or lardy cake.

Since this Sunday is Father’s Day I thought it would be a good time to do a blueberry dessert. They are in season and taste wonderful. This recipe is somewhat different since it uses goat cheese to cut some of the sweetness and uses a honey lemon glaze to finish the buckle. This is a good dessert that any man should love.

 

Taken from ‘Palate’ June/July 2016

Blueberry and Goat Cheese Buckle with Honey Glaze

½ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup milk

½ cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup goat cheese

Crumb topping (recipe follows)

Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

 Using stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy.

Add egg to bowl with butter and sugar, and mix until incorporated.

Sift baking powder, salt, and flour together in medium bowl.

Add half of dry ingredients to butter and sugar, and mix until combined.

Slowly add milk to butter mixture while mixing. Once milk is incorporated, add remaining dry ingredients, and mix until thoroughly combined.

Crumble goat cheese into blueberries, and fold into buckle batter.

Spread batter into greased 8-inch square pan.

Sprinkle crumb topping over batter, and bake until toothpick comes out clean, approximately 40-45 minutes.

Gently brush warm glaze over hot buckle. Let cool.

 

Crumb Topping

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut butter into small cubes and bring to room temperature.

Combine all ingredients, and mix using a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Do not overmix.

 

Glaze

¼ cup honey

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Pour ingredients into small pot over low heat. Bring mixture to a boil, and remove from heat.

Tomato Pie

The late food writer John Egerton once described tomatoes as the “sun-ripened sirens of summer.”

I do love tomatoes and have often told that we have a tomato-basil salad two or more times a week in the summer.

Tomatoes are growing like crazy this time of year and have been appearing at the farmer’s market for several weeks. So seeing them I always have the idea of a new way to prepare tomato pie. A traditional tomato pie is prepared by layering vine-ripened tomatoes with a mayonnaise and cheese mixture in a pre-baked pie shell. Fresh herbs, typically basil, brighten each layer and cut through the rich filling. Pile the pie with tomatoes of your choosing. Red tomatoes have a higher acidity, while yellow tomatoes have more sugar. Pink are a blend of acid and sweet, and purple are sweet with an earthy flavor. Green tomatoes are frim and sour.

A few tips: For easy peeling, blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, then plunge into an ice bath. This helps the skins peel off in a flash. After slicing, drain tomatoes on a wire rack lined with paper towels, so even the juiciest of Cherokee Purples won’t leave your pie crust soggy. To elevate the presentation, opt for a tart-style dish. Consider also adding pancetta, smoked Gruyère or goat cheese. And take your pick of fresh herbs—basil, chives, rosemary, and thyme are all good choices.

I have done many tomato pie recipes and started doing them while living in Andalusia many years ago. This recipe from ‘Palate’ June/July 2016 issue seems somewhat different but was very good. It was so good my husband ate one half of the pie for lunch!

Tomato Pie

4-5 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

½ cup chopped onions, sautéed

2 teaspoons granulated garlic, sautéed with onions

3 eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Score and Core: Remove tomatoes cores with a sharp paring knife. On opposite end, score and “X” in tomato skin.

2. Take the Plunge: Using a slotted spoon, plunge the tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 20-30 seconds; until skins are just loosened. Transfer blanched tomatoes to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

3. Peel Out: Once tomatoes are cool, peel them by sliding a paring knife under the skin and lifting, starting at the “X.” Be careful not to cut tomato flesh. After peeling, slice tomatoes into ¼-iinch slices.

4. High and Dry: Places tomato slices onto wire rack lined with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes. This technique removes excess liquid while keeping tomatoes flavorful.

5. Fill’er Up: To make filling: fold together all ingredients except for tomatoes, and spoon into a pre-baked pie crust or tart shell.

6. Make your Arrangements: Arrange tomatoes on top, and bake in a 350-degree oven until filling has set, approximately 20 minutes. (I found it took about 10 minutes longer). Remove from oven and garnish with herbs.

This makes a beautiful tomato pie and great for summer entertaining.

Flap Steak

Flap steak does not sound tasty but believe it or not it is becoming as popular as flank or hanger steak. Best of all it tends to be less expensive. I asked for it at Whole Foods and sure enough they verified that it was very popular. I paid $12.99 for a pound but it can be found at Costco for abound $8.00.

Flap meat or flap steak is a thin, relatively lean, coarse-grained steak that comes from the belly of the steer, near the same area as flank steak. Technically, flap meat is part of the bottom sirloin butt, though that’s not really important to know when you are shopping for it. What you need to know that it is known by other names and may be cut in different ways depending on where you live. In the Northeast U.S., flap meat is more likely to be called “sirloin tip,” and it’s often sold in cubes (for kebabs) or in long, fat strips.

Flap meat’s coarse grain makes it a champ at holding on to the flavors of a marinade, which can easily penetrate the loose structure of the meat. And if you marinade has something liked minced garlic or ginger in it, those little bits can snuggle between the meat fibers, where they have less chance of burning. Don’t soak it too long, or you run the risk of the marinade overwhelming the meat.

You can cook your flap meat using any dry heat-grilling, broiling, pan searing-so long as the heat is relatively high. High heat makes for better browning and crispy, charred edges. Cooked flap steak should always be thinly sliced across the grain to make those coarse meat fibers easier to chew.

The June/July issue of Fine Cooking had some fabulous recipes for flap meat. I chose the recipe using flap meat in a Greek salad with marinated feta. It was fabulous and easy and good enough for company.

So for summer grilling I would go out and get some flap meat and give it a try.

Greek Spinach Salad with Grilled Flap Steak and Marinated Feta

Serves 4

5 ½ Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. beef flap meat, cut into pieces or even thickness, if necessary

2 Tbs. chopped flat leaf-parsley

1 Tbs. capers, rinsed and chopped

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

¼ tsp. crushed red chile flakes

7 oz. feta (preferably Greek) cut into small cubes (about 1 ½ cups)

5 oz. baby spinach (about 5 packed cups) (I use my arugula instead.)

2 mini cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes (preferably a mix of colors and shapes), halved

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, olives

In a medium bowl, whisk 3 Tbs. of the oil with the garlic, oregano, vinegar, ¼ tsp. salt, and a few grinds pepper. Add the steaks and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 6 hours.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 2 ½ Tbs. oil, the parsley, capers, lemon juice, thyme, and chile flakes. Add the feta and stir gently to coat. Marinate at room temperature for up to 1 hour, or in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.

Prepare a medium-high (400° F to 475° F) gas or charcoal grill fire. Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat day. Grill, turning every 2 minutes, until cooked to your liking, 6 to 8 minutes for medium (140° F). Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Thinly slice the steak against the grain, then season slightly with salt.

Put the spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives in a large bowl. Drizzle all of the marinade from the feta over the salad, using a spatula to hold back the feta. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Arrange on a serving platter or divide among four dinner plates. Scatter the steak and feta over the salad, and serve.