Sunday, September 7, 2008
Pimientoes de Padron
Last night Kris and I were in the North End at Prezza with some friends. We ordered several appetizers but the one that blew me away was Pimientoes de Padron. Simply put, they are Spanish Padron peppers blistered in a cast iron pan with extra virgin olive oil, and then sprinkled with sea salt. This dish follows the rules of most incredible foods: simple, fresh ingredients, cooked in a time honored tradition. The subtle heat hits every area of your mouth and at the end you're left with a great olive oil and salty finish. You crave another one instantly! So, here I am Sunday morning searching the internet for Padron peppers. I could not find any grown locally but I did find a place that will pick the peppers to order. How cool is that! LaTienda is an online store that brings the best of Spain to America. I ordered two pounds of peppers, they will be picked tomorrow, and shipped immediately. My cast iron pan is already on the stove...
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3 comments:
Did you call Roche Brothers to see if they had those peppers ?
Yeah, I called the one in Burlington. I also called a bunch of local farms.
Those were good, weren't they? I had been dying to try those ever since I read Calvin Trillin's "Pepper Chase" essay in his excellent book "Feeding A Yen" (that also has a barbecue chapter). Those peppers might be all you've been thinking about, but he's been obsessing over them for more than a decade. He calls pimientos de padron the world's one great food that's never really been transported to the USA.
Also, I heard that Ken Oringer's Toro in Boston currently has them on their menu. (Jed LaBonte's been there and highly recommends the beef tongue.)
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