This past week, I I joinedStacie and her husband at a wonderful ramen restaurant, where everyone at the table was flipping over a fantastic shish*to pepper appetizer. (And fortunately, our children didn’t look at the word on the menu long enough to start uh…well, you know. Dissecting thename.) Only days before, I realized Ihad a fabulous gnocchi dish with braised shish*to peppers, and so ourconversation turned to how this Japanese bredpepper is now popping up everywhere.
Okay, so technically shish*tos are a chile but that distinction is lost on most of us. What is important to kno though, if you’re not familiar with them, is that shish*tos aregenerally mild— but only 9 out of about every 10 of them. The other is spicy. Think, Shish*to Roulette. Which makes themkind of fun! They’re wonderfully flavorful, andcan serve them roasted, braised, sauteed, fried, grilled, pickled…you name it. Which also makes them fun.
If you’re starting to see shish*tos in your local groceror greenmarket and want to give these yummy peppers a try,I’ve put together some amazing recipes from around the web that look absolutely terrific, no matter what your cooking skill. And I’d bet lots ofkids would like them too. At least if the odds of getting a mild one are ever in their favor.
Related: 8 family-friendly zucchini recipes with major kid appeal.
Roasted Shish*to Peppers: The Kitchn
This is a greatpost to get you started in the world of shish*to peppers. It discusses how to choose them, where to find them, and the key to cooking them perfectly, which in this case, requires nomore thanthe peppers, oil and a good sea salt. There’s also a nice suggestion for an optional yogurt dipping sauce that turns the whole thing into a great appetizer or light, healthy snack.
Easy Sesame Shish*to Peppers: Gimme Some Oven
As with other peppers, sauteeing is an easy way to go, whether as a side dish or as Alisuggests, a healthy snack all on its own. This super easy recipe includes somegreat tips worth checking out, including how to blacken them. You can even substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce, if you’re going GF.
Shish*to Peppers in Soy Ginger Sauce: Whitney Bond
Soy + ginger? What else would you think for cooking up a Japanese chile? In this case, you also need a little honey, some sesame oil, and optional panko to sprinkle over top and you’ve got the makings of a copycat appetizer that you might see in restaurants like Nobu. Not that anything I could make is as good as what the chefs at Nobu do. But you know. I can try.
Grilled Shish*to Peppers with Sriracha Almonds: Two Peas and Their Pod
A recipe that looks this good with a prep time of five minutes? I’m all in. Although to be honest, she had me when she added Blue Diamond’s Sriracha Almonds to the pan. This is the kind of sponsored post I totally love because I had no idea there even wereSriracha Almonds, and now I’m going to buy them and put them in pretty much everything, so thanks for that, Maria.
Shish*to Peppers Tempura: LA Times
If I want to get my kids to try anything new, I’ll be honest, frying it in some way with a dipping sauce on the side generally helps. Tempurais a healthier method than “chicken nuggeting” (our own term)so I was psyched to find this recipe from the LA Times. Read the whole article, and not just the recipe, for some savvytips; I particularlylike Sonoko Sakai’s suggestions about which oils are best for frying tempura. Just know you’ll need to have cake flour and cornstarch on hand for a light, crisp tempura shell. And the optionaldipping sauce? Well thatlooks easy and not optional at all.
(Note: You need to register to access the recipe which is totally worth it; I love the LA Times food section.)
Charred Cauliflower and Shish*to Peppers with Picada Sauce: Saveur
Oh, Saveur. I can always count on you for a recipe I want to pass to my more culinarily gifted friends (hi, Stacie!) and say, can you make this next time I come over? I had never even heard of Picada Sauce, which is a Spanish version of pesto made with almonds, parsley and, of all things, just a hint of a good dark chocolate. It’s not that complicated, but as one commenter notes, it does require lots of techniques — toasting almonds, broiling cauliflower, poaching garlic, and frying peppers. Hi, Stacie!
Chilled Shish*to Pepper Soup: RecipeCapay Organics, via Fearless Dining
I could eat chilled soups year round, and often do. Here, gluten-free home cook Sandi Gaertner makes a recipe from Capay Organic that looks veryeasy; it’s mostly a matter of frying the peppers in oil and garlic, then pureeing in a blender and chilling.I’m not sure what a shish*to pepper soup will taste like butsomething tells me it’s a good bet.
Related: How to make homemade corn stock, plus delicious ways to use it.
Pickled Shish*to Peppers: Black Girl Chef’s Whites
Cheryl D Lee grew up with homemade pickled peppers from her mom and grandmother as a year-round staple in her family fridge, so I trust her implicitly with her tips for pickling shish*tos. They look like a cinch to make, and then you’ll have a supply ready topunch up all kinds of entrees. The only downside: You’ll have to let the peppers sit for a week to let the flavors come together. Anticipation.
Watermelon Carpaccio with Blistered Shish*to, Mitsuba and Lime: Taste With the Eyes
If you want to eke just a bit more time out of watermelon season, this recipe from Taste with the Eyes looks absolutely outrageous. Also, it looks like it might require a culinary school degree and more free time than I generally have. You may be different, in which case I bow down to you.It calls foramandolin for thinly slicing the melon, some of theJapanese herb mitsuba, Korean red chili powder, and radish sprouts, plus some roasted pistachios and a little feta. Yum. Then again,not exactlystuff you’ll find in your local Stop n Shop. Still,whoa — you want to impress the inlaws or a new date? I’d say this shish*to pepper recipe is the one todo it.
tipshttps://blog.thenibble.com/2015/09/05/tip-of-the-day-shish*to-chile-peppers/
Tags: appetizers, Asian cooking, dinner, easy recipes, gluten-free, japanese food, korean food, party ideas, quick recipes, salad, skinny recipes, snack recipes, soup, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Tags: appetizers, Asian cooking, dinner, easy recipes, gluten-free, japanese food, korean food, party ideas, quick recipes, salad, skinny recipes, snack recipes, soup, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
