I’m so excited to get cooking with my fall Local Roots CSA share this season! I’ll be sharing my recipes and cooking tips throughout autumn, beginning this week with shishito peppers. These peppers are an excellent appetizer paired with a super easy “aioli”, which is store bought mayonnaise doctored with some saffron and a kick of garlic. Once you see how simple these peppers are to prepare you’ll wonder why you haven’t made them before!
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Cheat’s Aioli
serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, grated on a rasp or microplane (or finely minced)
1 pinch saffron
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound shishito peppers
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for serving
Combine mayonnaise, grated garlic, saffron and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Add salt to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Heat a large 12-inch skillet, such as cast iron, over high heat until it begins to smoke. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the olive oil to the skillet. Once it shimmers add the peppers, in batches, in a single layer to avoid steaming. Cook peppers on each side until blistered and slightly charred, about 1 to 2 minutes per side, adding more olive oil to the pan between batches if it gets dry.
Transfer peppers to a plate, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve hot with the aioli.
This recipe is partnered with Local Roots NYC, a small, mission-driven business here to serve fellow New Yorkers and regional growers. Click here to join!