Crinkly, blistered padron chiles ready to be eaten.
You know what guides me through thoughts of living in NYC with just a tiny window AC to cool me down in summer heat? (You see, in the South, we at least have central air to cool us down.) All of the produce that summer reaps. Garlic scapes — be still my heart. Fresh, heirloom tomatoes of different varieties. And padron peppers. I only discovered these babies a few years ago and have been addicted every since.
I can spot these green, crinkly chiles at the farmer’s market or Whole Foods. There’s a cinch to cook too. Just pile them into a hot pan with olive oil, sauté until the skins are somewhat blistered and season with salt. Find more detailed cooking instructions in a previous post I wrote for Serious Eats. The sneakiness about these chile peppers is that while most of the batch are mild, a few register much higher on the Scoville scale. That’s the fun of devouring them — you don’t know if you’re getting a mild chile or a spicy one until you’ve popped it into your mouth. What could be better for a spice addict?
