For the Covey Club pick-up at local-to-me the Quail & Olive, I made blistered shishito peppers with their featured products - Doctor's Blend Olive Oil and the 25-Star White Balsamic Vinegar. These are so simple, but they are one of our favorite summer appetizers.
You can read about the Doctor's Blend in my Olive Oil-Red Wine Brownies post. The second product in the club members' packet is the 25 Star White Balsamic Vinegar. This is produced in Modena, Italy and aged for 25 years. Yes! Really. That's a quarter of a century to achieve the thick, deliciousness that lends a sweet-tart to anything you choose to drizzle it on. In this case, I used it in place of freshly squeezed citrus juice that I usually drizzle on these peppers.
One in Ten
Are you familiar with shishito peppers? Are you curious about the 'culinary roulette' in the post title??
Shishitos are a thin-skinned East Asian pepper. They're small, thin, and wrinkled, usually about the length of a finger. Nine out of ten shishitos are mild. However, you will come across one that will bring tears to your eyes. It's a gamble, but these are totally worth the risk.
Pro-Tip
If you have ever blistered vegetables, you usually heat the oil in the pan and toss in the veggies. Because of the wrinkles on these peppers, it's best to coat them in oil before you put them in the pan.
Ingredients
2 pints organic shishito peppers
2 Tablespoons Doctors' Blend olive oil (or any kind of oil you prefer)
2 teaspoons 25 Star White Balsamic vinegar (or any kind of vinegar you like)
smoked sea salt to taste
Procedure
Rinse and dry the peppers. Place the peppers to a medium bowl, drizzle in the oil, and toss and massage until the peppers are evenly coated.
Preheat a skillet over medium heat until a drop of water evaporates quickly on contact.
Add the peppers and let them cook, stirring every minute or so, until they have charred spots and are tender, approximately 5 to 8 minutes.
Transfer the peppers to a serving plate. Drizzle with vinegar and toss to coat. Sprinkle generously with salt to taste. Serve with a bowl on the side for the pepper stems.
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