Yes, I must have been living under a rock, for I had never heard of shishito peppers until this past September! These little green or red peppers are the darling of the culinary world this year. So where was I? Stephanie, my farmer friend and shishito supplier, eats them every night. That’s love. So I couldn’t wait to get them home and give them a try. Supposedly 1 in every 10 is a hot one, although we didn’t run across any giving off heat.
The quickest and most popular method of cooking shishito’s is to sauté them in a little olive or canola oil. I made a Manchego Mornay Sauce to dip them in. I have to be honest with you. It was not to Lewis’ or my taste. Guess I expected more of a sweet roasted red pepper, than the bitterness of a green (in my mind unripe) bell pepper. Even dipped in Mornay, most of the peppers remained uneaten.
Undeterred, I wanted to give them one last chance. Found some more, multi-colored shishitos in The Hamptons (la dee da). So I whisked up some gorgeous local pastured eggs, grated some extra-sharp cheddar to do battle with the peppers, and gripped the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper firmly in each hand. Couldn’t be easier. I was very delicate with the eggs. I prefer them cooked through, but by gently folding them over until they were just cooked and quickly serving, they were a creamy delight. The peppers added just the right contrast to the cheese and Lewis is always happy if you serve him eggs!
- 12 shishito peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive, canola, or coconut oil
- Salt to tatse
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ tablespoon flour
- ½ cup milk
- 4 ounces Manchego or Gruyere cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 eggs, the freshest pastured you can find, beaten
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 to 12 shishito peppers, prepared as above
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Poke one hole in each pepper with a skewer, to prevent explosions
- Heat a skillet on medium, add oil and peppers.
- Saute, turning every few minutes until the peppers are blistered all over. Be careful not to burn the peppers. This should take about 15 minutes.
- Salt to taste (optional) and serve hot.
- In a saucepan, heat the butter until melted.
- Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the milk, bring the heat up a little, and whisk constantly until thickened.
- Add the cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Serve hot.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add the butter and melt.
- When the butter is bubbling, add the beaten eggs.
- Allow the eggs to just start to set up. Then gently, using a small spatula, fold over the eggs carefully breaking them up.
- Sprinkle the cheese, shishito peppers, salt, and black pepper over the top of the eggs.
- Turn a few more times.
- Serve hot.
You could use the Mornay Sauce instead of the cheddar, even doing a mock Eggs Benedict by underling the eggs with toast or an English muffin and topping with Mornay.
So, I’ll sneak a few shishito’s in every now and then. They’re not so bad in combination with other flavors, as long as they’re in the shadows……..Or is it that everything does just tastes better with cheese?!
– Sheila
