The buds on the street side bushes in town
have turned into small leaves almost as green as the peppers El Padrón, my eyes
registered on my way home today…and it is only end of March!
Still suffering from a cold that had
suddenly hit me this week, all I could manage today was a quick mid-week
roulette...despite the modest energy level I was full of excitement and
anticipation of a long awaited taste bomb or at least a great mouthful.
The green thumb sized peppers come from the
Galicia region in north west of Spain. They are the simplest of the
simple dish to prepare and can be eaten as finger food tapas, a starter or a
side dish.
All you need to do is to heat some olive oil in a grill pan, throw a handful of peppers in and toss them
around a couple of times until they take on a grilled colour. At the end
sprinkle some flaked salt (I used
Maldon salt) on the peppers and ready to serve it is.
 |
| Pimientos - Peppers El Padrón, grilled with olive oil and sea salt |
The fun is in the eating. Most of the Padrón
peppers are sweet, but occasionally one can come across an explosive hot one.
So far, fortunately or unfortunately, I’ve never been surprised by this small
vegetable. I am told the ones grown in Murcia region are usually less hot…until next time.
When with friends you can play a game where
someone who gets the spicy hot one has to do something as a challenge set by
others.