Blistered Shishito Peppers

Recipe by Chef Liz Crawshaw
Demonstrated at Decatur Farmers Market on June 24, 2017

Ingredients

Ingredients:

Market Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs Shishito Peppers from Furrowed Earth @ $5/lb
• 4 fresh baby Shallot bulbs from Jody’s Farm @ $1 (or 2 minced garlic cloves)
• 1 small Cucumber from Jody’s Farm @ $1
• 1 pint baby Cherry Tomatoes from Jody’s Farm @ $4
  

Pantry Staples:

• 1-2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced
• 1/2 Tsp Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp Cumin
• Drizzle of honey
• Salt/Pepper to taste

 Directions

For the Dipping Sauce:

1. Very finely chop the shallots (or mince the garlic cloves) and sauté in a little olive oil until soft, 2-3 minutes.
2. Finely dice the cucumber and stir into the lemon juice with the shallots. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to help temper the shallots (or garlic).
3.  Mix the cucumbers, lemon juice and shallots into the yogurt. Season with Salt & pepper, add the cumin and 1/2 of the paprika. Taste; if the lemon juice is too strong, sweeten with a drizzle of honey.
   

For the Blistered Shishitos (& Cherry Tomatoes):

1. Preheat a grill pan or cast iron skillet on medium/high heat while you prepare the shishitos.
2. Toss the shishitos and cherry tomatoes in the remaining olive oil and season with salt, pepper and a little paprika.
3. When the grill pan is very hot, carefully place the shishitos and tomatoes in a single layer (you may need to do multiple batches to achieve this).
4. Allow to grill for 3 minutes without moving them. When they have started to take on a nice char, stir the shishitos and remove the tomatoes. Continue grilling shishitos and stirring every 1-2 minutes until they are blistered. This should take roughly 6 minutes depending on how firm you like your peppers.
5. Remove from pan and sprinkle with more salt and paprika if desired. Serve with tomatoes and dipping sauce.
   

Shishitos are a mild pepper for the most part – however, you may find about 1 in 10 with a spicy kick, so the cooling dipping sauce comes in handy for this potential heat! They make a great summer barbecue appetizer because they can be thrown on the grill and be ready in minutes while the rest of your feast is still cooking. Make the dip ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to a week.