If you listen to It Takes Two with Amy & JJ, you know that I love a good farmer’s market. For years, I have found new and exciting items that are grown by local farmers. This has led to my enjoyment of things like kohlrabi, swiss chard and many more fresh veggies.
The king of them all…the Shishito pepper. Introduced to me by the folks from Driscoll Farms (find them on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays at the West Acres Market) these peppers are packed with flavor and the right kind of heat. If you, like my wife, have a Midwestern palette, don’t worry. These peppers are all about flavor and not burning your tongue off. We can leave that job to the Carolina Reaper.
The shishito pepper the ultra mild spice is very well hidden by the sweetness from the fruit. The rule of thumb, or the old wives tale, is that only 1 in 10 shishito peppers are hot. I can tell you from experience, I have had a handful that resulted in any heat in the hundreds I have paired with everything from eggs to steak.
These wrinkly, small-ish, green peppers are a delightful treat. Here are some suggestions on how to prepare them…if you can find them!
- Blistered Shishito Peppers. Recommended by Jim Driscoll the first time I tried these – it’s a simple cook. In a frying pan, add whole peppers, drizzle with olive oil, some minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on high and look for dark brown on the parts of the pepper that touch the pan. Roughly 4 to 5 minutes tops. Serve with just about anything!
- Dehydrate – a good friend of KFGO, Kim, gave me a bag of home grown shishito peppers he had dried. They mad a great addition to things like stir fry, eating right out of the bag or crushed and sprinkled over a salad.
- Chop the peppers and add them to an omelette! Take your favorite ham and cheese breakfast dish to the next level. No need to pre-cook this pepper, let it get warm and retain the small amount of crunch that it has!
—More from JJ—
BERNIE’S REVIEW – A review of the East Grand Forks, MN restaurant from Food Network star Molly Yeh!
https://kfgo.com/2022/11/02/review-bernies-in-east-grand-forks-molly-yehs-restaurant/
JJ WAS IN A DORITOS COMMERCIAL – A look back at the Doritos “Noodling” contest commercial I was part of years ago.
https://kfgo.com/2022/02/11/kfgos-jj-gordon-in-a-doritos-super-bowl-commercial/
KFGO BOOK CLUB – A look at a book I read in my early teens and how author Gary Paulson pulled me in re-reading in my late 30’s.
https://kfgo.com/2020/03/31/kfgo-book-club-hatchet-by-gary-paulsen/
ROOT BEER CHICKEN WING RECIPE – A major hit at tailgating and anytime you want to spice up your chicken wing game, this full recipe will take you from raw wing to friends asking “Can I get that recipe?!?!”
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