For the last few years I have added the Russian roulette thrill of eating padrones to our Christmas holiday tradition. A kilogram box, picked and posted from Queensland’s Midyimeco and delivered the next day in Sydney, holds a wealth of culinary opportunities and eating surprises.
The thing about padrones is that while most of them are mild and mellow little bite-sized chillies, every now and then you’ll get one that sets your mouth on fire. This year about every third chilli was super hot, eliciting “wows" and “yes, got one” and the odd expletive from the family. Simply pan fried in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt until the skin begins to blister, they make great tapas to have with a cold drink.
This year I also pickled some and last night served them on top of some lamb koftas with spiced tomatoes. Offset with a dollop of Greek style yoghurt it made for a spicy, gluten-free start to a lovely evening with some best buddies.
The season only lasts for a couple of weeks around Christmas but if you fancy the padron thrill yourself contact Richard at Midyimeco.com.au
The recipe for Lamb Koftas and Spicy Tomatoes will be in our cookbook (which we’re all looking forward to). Pickling recipes abound but I have included the following:
Wash and sterilise a one-litre glass jar with boiling water. Wash 2 handfuls of padrones or other peppers, then pierce each one a couple of times with a fine skewer and put them in the jar. Bring 500ml water and 200ml white wine vinegar to the boil with 2 tablespoons salt, a sliced garlic clove and a teaspoon of black peppercorns. Continue to boil until the salt has dissolved. Pour the pickling mix over the padrones. After the contents have cooled to room temperature, seal the jar and set aside in the fridge for at least a week.
Caren