Pim's already discovered the pimiento de padron. San Franciscans are hooked on the little pepper too. We're wondering if you're on to these too. Were we the last to know?
We picked up a handful of these peppers at the Greenmarket last week. We weren't sure what to expect and let them idle in the crisper for a few days. Looking for a beer snack over the long weekend, we tossed the peppers into a pan of hot olive oil and let them blister on both sides. We pulled them out of the hot olive oil and sprinkled with some sea salt.
These little peppers are our sleeper hit of the summer season. These olive-sized peppers, often served at tapas bars in Spain, are a "must-try!!!!" just like the sign at Yuno's Farms stand says.
Snackers, be warned ...
One out of every ten or so of these peppers will be hotter than the rest. Pim called this "culinary russian roulette." There's no way to tell which Padron pepper will be hotter than the rest. Wikipedia says the peppers grown in August and September tend to be hotter than those from earlier in the season, but we didn't think our peppers were too hot.
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Comments (10)
Where can you buy them in NYC? I've looked all over in and haven't found them anywhere. Are they @ Unions Square Greenmarket? If anyone knows, please tell. These are so delicious. I've been dying to get them.
Hopefully I'll be able to try them soon in Spain! Can't wait for my first authentic tapas experience!
I picked some up at the Dag Hamerskjold (2nd ave and 47th) greenmarket a few weeks ago. Never heard of them before but glad I gave them a try!
I had these in Barcelona over the summer – they were amazing! I've been looking everywhere to figure out exactly what type of pepper was used and how to prepare, and couldn't find anything. Thank you AT! Apparently you can read my mind :)
They usually have them at Despana (sorry for the lack of accent!) in NoLita, if you can't find them at a greenmarket. They're usually served alongside a steak and fries when they're not served as tapas. My Yaya used to make them all the time. Careful when you cook them though, they splatter!
Yep, they're at Union Square! On fridays at Yunos Farms. They're on the northern northern side of the market kind of across the street from the entrance to Sephora.
I was seduced by these a month or so ago and they really are delicious! I liked them as a tapas, but what I really love about them is the flavor they add to everyday cooking. Good stuff. I hope they'll be around into the cooler months so I can really enjoy the stuffing out of them!
Interesting little peppers. I wonder if it's possible to find them here in the Midwest...
Jim of Chew on That,
Haro tapas bar had them for a little while, I wonder if you called them they could give you a source?
I was just peeping your blog. Have you tried Camargue red rice? It is from the south of France and I believe it is grown around lavender fields.
$5 a pound?! Oh my... we pay $6 for a tiny bag here in SF.
Hello, I read this and I need to post something.
I’m from a place near Padron, in Galicia, Spain. This small pepper has been part of the Galician cuisine many years until they spread around Spain. Galician cuisine is really different from southern Spanish one, own vegetables, great seafood and delicious beef mainly. Galicia is a cold and rainy place, full of coast, so food is different.
And, back to the peppers, is very important were do you raise the peppers, because the soil determinates how hot the pepper is. A pepper grow in Padron and a pepper grow in Seville… well man you are going to need a new stomach after a dozen of the sevillian ones :D
If you read this all, thanks for your patience, great blog!