Steak with Padron Salsa

This dish was inspired by a recipe in the latest issue of Bon Appetite. I swapped Shishito peppers for padrons – so good!

1½-inch-thick boneless rib eyes (1¼ pounds or so)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 lb Padron or shishito peppers
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp sherry vinegar

Season steak generously with l salt and pepper.

Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat. Grill steaks over direct heat, turning once, until nicely charred, about 4 minutes per side. Move steaks over indirect heat and continue grilling, turning halfway through, until browned all over, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat. As soon as oil starts to smoke, add peppers to cover bottom of pan in a single layer (don’t crowd). Cook, tossing occasionally, until blistered in spots but still green, about 3 minutes. (You don’t want them to collapse or soften too much.)

Transfer to another cutting board and repeat with remaining peppers. Let sit until cool enough to touch. Coarsely chop peppers and place in a small bowl. Mix in garlic, vinegar, and remaining 1/2 cup oil; season with salt.

Serve the steaks topped with the salsa.

Serves 2 – 4.

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Spicy Pizza

I have an overload of padrons this week so what better thing to do then add them to pizza?! This is a spicy one – hot salami, red onions and lots of padrons.

Ingredients:
1 lb pizza dough
Pepper infused olive oil or regular
8 oz shredded mozzarella
4 oz spicy salami
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz padrons, sliced

Preheat oven to 500 with pizza steel or stone inside for at least 45 minutes.

Roll out dough, drizzle with pepper oil, onions, cheese, salami and top with peppers (I wait until I have my pizza on the steel or stone to add the padrons so they don’t fall off during peel transfer). Bake 8 – 12 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling.

Serves 4.

Padron and Sausage Pasta with Goat Cheese Sauce

This is one spicy number! Pasta with spicy sausage, padron peppers and goat cheese – yum! The goat cheese adds a nice zing to the zip of the peppers and sausage. You could use Italian frying peppers if you don’t have padrons.

Ingredients:
2 spicy sausages, casing removed
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb peppers, sliced
1/2 c chicken stock
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 lb pasta

Cook pasta according to package.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, onions, mushrooms and peppers until sausage is cooked through, break up sausage while it cooks. Add stock and simmer for 5 minuets. Stir in cheese, add pasta and serve.

Serves 2 – 4.

Tapas Pasta

I came up with this one last night – it was perfect! Spicy sausage, peppers and a little cheese!

Ingredients:
1 TBSP olive oil
4 oz chorizo sausage
2 baskets of padrons, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c parsley, chopped
1/4 c manchego cheese, grated
1/2 lb pasta

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, padrons and garlic, cook until padrons are soft.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta.

Transfer pasta to sausage and pepper mixture, add 1/4 c pasta water and cheese, stir and serve.

Serves 2 – 4.

Pizza with Braised Onions & Padron

This pizza came about like most of pizzas by cleaning out the fridge before shopping day. This pizza looks a little funky because of the deep red onions, but the flavors are perfect! I had made the onions for another dish and had some leftover, there were a few padrons left and I always have cheese and pizza dough on hand.

8 oz pizza dough
1/2 c braised onions
20 padrons
1/2 c grated Manchego

Braised onions:
3 TBSP red wine vinegar
3 c red wine
4 large onions, thinly sliced
3 springs each thyme, bay leaf and parsley tied together
Salt

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine vinegar and wine, bring to boil. Add onions and herbs, return to boil and cover for 5 minutes. Remove a couple TBSP onions. Cover and reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 3 – 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more wine if it starts to dry out. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Preheat the over to 500 with pizza stone in oven for at least an hour.

Roll out pizza dough very thin. Top with onions, padrons and cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese starts to brown.

Serves 4.

Grilled Padrons

Today my favorite farmer was back at the Hayward Farmers Market! And he had a special treat just for me, he had set aside the first of his Padron crop just for me!!! Man do I feel special! OK, so I spend a ridiculous amount of money at his stand because his produce is that good, but how wonderful to have padrons set aside for just me 🙂

Ingredients:
Padrons
Olive oil
Salt

Toss padrons with olive oil.

Turn BBQ on high and get smocking hot. Turn down heat to medium, and roast padrons, turning a couple times. We use a veggie basket so we don’t have any casualties. Cook about 5 minutes until charred. Toss with salt & serve.

Grilled Padrons

My all time favorite pepper is the Spanish tapas staple the Padron. Most are mild, but every once in a while you get a hot one! They are usually cooked on the stove top in a lot of hot olive oil, but I’m always trying to lighten things up, so I tossed them in a bowl with a little olive oil and grilled them. I actually prefer then grilled – the bbq adds a nice smoky note. It you don’t have padrons you could use another kind of mild pepper. I use one of those veggie baskets to cook them on the grill.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Padron peppers
2 tsp olive oil
Salt

Get your grill smoking hot. In a large bowl, toss the padrons in the olive oil. Using a veggie BBQ basket, grill the padrons over high heat for about 2 minutes per side, you want a nice char and for the peppers to soften from the heat. Remove from heat and salt generously.

Serves 2.
1 WW PP.