Went into a local restaurant last night, La Rambla (3d Street in McMinnville, OR) and among other things, tried a tapas of padron peppers. Incredible!
The skillet was heated up super-hot with olive oil, the padron were thrown in so they softened up in the oil, and they blistered just a bit. Then they were pulled off the heat, some sea salt was thrown over them, and they were delivered quickly to our table.
Folks, this is something you have to try (assuming you can find padrons). I happened to have a sorta-margarita with a good agave tequila, lime and a touch of Cointreau, and the combo was some kinda wonderful.
Compulsive eating, those little devils. Distinctive flavor.
For those of you who don't know padrons, they're tiny little green peppers, very light in flavor, and with very little heat to them. Just a touch, really, just enough to add piquancy.
Later on we tried the last few padrons with a hummus-y garlic sauce. Yep!
This will be a feature on our table in future. So simple, and so splendid.
