I first tasted Padron peppers at August Restaurant in New York’s West Village. The centerpiece of the restaurant is a beautiful Italian-style wood burning oven. The chef at the time, Tony Liu, simply roasted the peppers in the oven until they charred and blistered and paired them with warm haloumi cheese.
Padron peppers, a staple of Spanish cuisine, are just beginning to be cultivated in this country. They are no bigger than your pinkie and usually no spicier than an Anaheim pepper: I say ‘usually’ because about one in 10 is a lot spicier than an Anaheim pepper — Jose Andres, the Spanish chef, compares eating them to playing culinary Russian roulette.
At Olivea, we often run them as a special, pan roasted and paired with rosemary oil, sheep’s milk feta, almonds, coarse sea salt and lemon juice.
Padron peppers, like Morrissey concerts, seem to attract a feverishly passionate core of cult followers. A customer of the restaurant was so happy that we were serving them that he asked me to order a case of them for himself and told me of his dream to grow them locally and become the Johnny Appleseed of the Padron pepper. He also enlightened me about the source for the peppers’ irregular hotness: the peppers that are on the outside of the plant and get rained on are the spicy ones.
Padron peppers are available by mail-order from , purveyor of all things Spanish. If you can’t find Padron peppers, you can substitute sliced Anaheim chiles in the recipe at left.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
Padron Peppers with Rosemary Oil, Feta, Almonds and Sea Salt
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound Padron peppers (or Anaheims)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 pound good quality feta
2 tablespoons rosemary oil (see recipe)
Pinch coarse sea salt
Squeeze lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 400. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Lightly brown the peppers in the pan and place the pan with the peppers in the oven for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
Turn the peppers into a large bowl and toss well with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.
Rosemary Oil
Makes 1 cup.
Ingredients
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 sprigs rosemary, bruised with the back of a knife
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Pinch salt
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Over very low heat, bring the oil to a gentle simmer, and cook 10 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to color. Cool the mixture completely, then strain it. Refrigerate until ready to use.
