Blistered Shishito Peppers with Gomasio

While I was strolling through a local supermarket, I came across a bag of shishito peppers. These small green peppers are a Japanese ingredient, as "shishito" translates into "lion's head" in Japanese. I have previously used these peppers in my cooking (you can check it out here). They are a quintessential simple ingredient. All you need to do is roast them or saute them, and they are a tasty snack. (They are also a game, as most - but not all - of the peppers are usually mild; however, every once in a while, there will be a spicy one in the bunch.)

It seems somewhat obvious that a simple ingredient should be paired with another simple one. And, I had just the ingredient in mind ... gomasio. For those who may follow this blog, gomasio is a Japanese condiment that consists of two ingredients: toasted sesame seeds and salt. I had recently made the recipe and had a nice supply in the kitchen. All I needed was a recipe that uses the Japanese spice mix with shishito peppers. (Actually, given the simplicity of what I was about to do, a recipe is not really required.) 

Nevertheless, I found a recipe that combined shishito peppers and gomasio, along with a couple of other ingredients, namely lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt. Five total ingredients produced a simple dish. Yet, this dish could be served as an appetizer or small plate. A simple tapa or meze (or pintxos if it had a toothpick skewered through it). 

Making a simple recipe every once in a while provides a nice balance to the many more complicated recipes that are still vying for my limited time and, if they get made, working their way through the post-writing queue. It also does somthing more. I often joke about how one could measure my level of stress by the dishes I make. The more complicated the dish, the higher level of stress. Yet, making a series of small dishes is perhaps a better way of dealing with stress, as the success of each dish builds upon the next one, helping to keep my focus off of what stresses me and helping to feel more accomplished. I need to keep this in the back of my mind more often, especially during these times. 

BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS WITH GOMASIO

Recipe from Bits of Wellness

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups of shishito peppers

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon juiced

1 tablespoon Gomasio

Flaky sea salt

Directions:

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook peppers, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides. Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon over the peppers. Plate the peppers and sprinkle with Gomasio. Serve immediately. 

PEACE.

Blistered Shishito Peppers and White Onions

The history of the Shishito pepper goes back about five centuries.  In some respects, it is a tale that begins as the story of many peppers. That beginning is aboard a Portuguese caravel during the 16th century.

The 16th century represented perhaps the pinnacle of Portuguese "exploration." I used the word in quotes because the areas they explored -- such as the coasts of Africa, the subcontinent, and eastern Asia -- already existed with their own long histories and cultures. (I always try to be mindful of how history is told from a western perspective.) By the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese had "discovered" what is known today as Brazil.  By the mid 16th century, Portuguese explorers and traders had not only navigated around the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa, but they had made their way to what is modern day India, China and even Japan.  At least two Portuguese traders -- Antonio Mota and Francisco Zeimoto --  were the first to make their way to island of Tanagashima in 1543.  Those traders were the first Europeans to make contact with the Japanese and they did so by accident.  Their vessel had been blown off course by a typhoon and wrecked on the island. In the years that followed, the Portuguese established more formal contacts, especially focused on trade.  

As these Portguese vessels made their way around the world, they brought one very little tasty vegetable as an item for trade ... the pepper. The Portguese brought different peppers with them, including the malagueta pepper from Brazil and the padron pepper from Spain. The Portuguese brought the former pepper to Africa, where it has become the piri-piri (or peri-peri) pepper.  As for the latter pepper, the Portugutese most likely brought it to Japan, where it literally and figuratively took root. The relatively mild pepper came to be known as the Shishito pepper. The name "shishito" comes from the Japanese for lion (shishi) and pepper (togarashi).  Together, the word shishito is the Japanese Lion Head pepper.  

Fast forward to today, the shishito pepper seems to be making its way around the world much like an explorer. It seems to have made its way across the Pacific Ocean to restaurants across the United States. Chefs and cooks across this country have taken to the little pepper, blistering them and serving them as appetizers and tapas to hungry guests.

This recipe follows that trend, but with a slight nod back to the pepper's origin.  The blishito peppers are "blistered," that is sauteed until the skins begin to brown, with a sauce made from soy sauce, lemon juice, water and a little sugar.  The recipe was good and easy to make.  However, the next time I think I will try a different way to prepare these peppers.

BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS AND WHITE ONIONS

Recipe adapted from CSA Cookbook, page 48

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of canola oil

2 cups of shishito peppers

1 white onion cut lengthwise into eighths

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Saute the peppers.  Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Swirl in the oil, then spread the peppers and onions across the pan with as little overlap as possible, pressing down on them lightly with a spatula.  Cook undisturbed until the bottoms are lightly blistered and browned, about 5 minutes.  Shake up the pan and continue cooking until the pepper are tender and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Make the sauce.  Combine the soy sauce, water, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  

3.  Finish the dish.  Transfer the peppers and onions to a serving dish and pour the sauce over them. Stir to coat evenly and serve warm.

ENJOY!

Blistered Shishito Peppers

For a while, it seemed that the trendy thing for trendy restaurants to do was to offer a small plate or appetizer of blistered shishito peppers. These peppers seemed to be everywhere, even go so far as to conquer the City of New York. (Somewhere, there is an idea for a Grade B - or perhaps more accurately, a Grade D - horror movie.  I can see it now, someone dressed up in a pepper costume terrorizing the people on Fifth Avenue, yelling "you ate my family, now I eat you.")

I don't know where the shishito pepper trend started, or, quite frankly, whether it is still ongoing. I try not to get caught up in culinary fads. Nevertheless, the dish was there and everywhere. And, for someone like myself, who loves peppers, I have to admit that I was intrigued. But, that interest was not enough to have me spend anywhere from $4.99 or $7.99 for a small plate of the peppers.   

During a recent trip to a local supermarket, I found myself confronted by the peppers. Not in in the horror movie sense.  I was walking up and down the produce aisles and saw these small packages of peppers.  They were not in the pepper section, where I traditionally pick up my anaheims, jalepenos, serranos and habaneros.  Instead, these packages of peppers were all by themselves, as if specifically meant to stand out from the other surrouniding produce. Sure enough, the label read, "Shishito Peppers."  I bought a small container of the peppers and then decided to do a little research into the peppers themselves and recipes for preparing them.  

Shishito peppers are a relatively sweet, East Asian pepper also known as kkwari gochu in South Korea.  An interesting "fact" about these peppers is that about 1 in 10 also tends to be hot or spicy. It is a kind of Korean roulette for people who don't ordinarily like spicy foods but want to challenge themselves: eat a pepper and see if it is the spicy one.  For me, I would like 10 out of 10 to be spicy.  In the end, the spiciness or piquancy of the peppers depends upon the exposure to sunlight and other "environmental factors." Unfortunately for me, although I had about a dozen peppers in the package, none of them were spicy.  The odds were not in my favor.

This recipe is really easy to make.  The blistered peppers make a great tapas-style dish that could be served along other simple, small plates, such as different types of cheese or slices of prosciutto.  If I ever see a package of these peppers again, I will probably make this recipe as a simple side or garnish.  But, I have not seen the peppers recently?  I wonder if I got in too late for this culinary fad?

BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS

Recipe from  Bon Appetit

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 pounds of shishito peppers

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Flaky sea salt

Directions:

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook peppers, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides.  Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. 

ENJOY!