this week at the market...
Shishito peppers are here and I couldn't be happier. This Japanese variety of pepper, a close cousin of the Spanish padron, is tiny and lightweight, but is packed full of interesting flavor. It also makes for a quick and easy appetizer that never disappoints.
You don't even have to bother de-stemming the peppers, just rinse them, toss them in a bowl with plenty of oil and salt, hen, throw them in a large very hot pan. Each pepper should have its own little piece of real estate in the pan to properly blister. Cook for about 6-10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Then serve.
It's the perfect thing to nibble on while waiting for your Southtown brats or pork chop to grill.
You can choose to eat the stems or not.
Chefs like these little peppers, a shinier green and more "twisty" than padrons, because they possess a bright sweet note, some say even floral, to rival the padron's more earthy, smoky flavors. Shishitos pair better with tamari, sesame or lemon.
They are definitely more flavorful than spicy, but, careful, one in about every ten or twenty peppers will surprise with its high heat index and, there's no way of knowing which one.
If you shy away from spicy foods, then eating these peppers can be a little bit like playing Russian Roulette. But that's part of the fun.
Here's a recipe from Food52 for pan-roasted shishito peppers with pickled feta. (Buy your feta early at the Painted Goat tent - it continues to be a best-seller).
Sohha Yogurt fans - please note that the folks at Sohha are moving their processing plant from Brooklyn to the Bronx and so will not be able to return to the market until NEXT week at the earliest. In the meanwhile, Southtown Farms does bring Ronnybrook yogurt to market.
Jnana Organics will be bringing their signature green juice this week along with carrot and beet juice and their refreshing cashew and almond "mylk" beverages. They also will be selling bags of Irving Farms organic coffee beans, locally-roasted in Millerton, NY.
Larchmont Charcuterie is also here this week. Daniel has fine-tuned his coarse country pate recipe and, I must say, it's his best yet.
And, Clean Ridge Soap Co. is also here which always makes the northern end of the market smell so nice. I am loving the familiar smell of their kitchen soap in our new home.
Out of honey? You are in luck, Hudson River Apiaries is here. And, for those of you jonesing for the cashew butter from The Peanut Principle - they will be here tomorrow with their vast array of nut butters.
I'm sorry to say that though this is the third Saturday of the month which means the Knife Sharpener should be here, he will be away celebrating his 50th birthday. We wish him a happy celebration and apologize for any inconvenience.
If you were planning on bringing your kitchen knives, pruning shears or lawn mower to the market for some TLC - please don't! He will be back in September.
The biggest news of all this week is that our new batch of t-shirts is finally in!
We have plenty of S, M, L sizes in our tried and true blue-grey shirts plus, our new color scheme for the 2015/16 season...which Hastings folks are sure to love.
The Levins will be performing in the music tent. Love them.
And, Alison Schubert will be leading the kids' yoga class from 9:30 to 10:30. Bring your mats!
See you at the market!
Pascale