We went to an outdoor concert this week at the iconic Hollywood Bowl- a belated birthday present that was worth the wait- and got to have a dream picnic beforehand. We’d never been there before, and the cool evening was a perfect way to experience Andrew Bird and Devendra Banhart.
Wes and I received one of those over the top picnic baskets filled with glass plates, real silverware and glass wine glasses for our wedding. Most people would have put this thing away at the top of their garage first thing, but I’ve been staring anxiously at it for 7 (wowza) months.
We got complimented right and left about the basket as we walked around looking for the perfect spot, but we were very much not alone. It took until we gave up and started unpacking in a tiny corner before someone let us know they’d just left their space available for us.
Our picnic included a fancy cheese platter of five cheeses, a salad in a jar, potato taquitos with salsa verde, fruit salad, and this simple recipe for blistered garlicky shishito peppers. Mai-yan and I both receive a weekly box of vegetables from Farm Fresh to You, and shishito peppers come in the lucky late summer weeks.
The recipe is extremely easy, flavorful, packable, and great at room temperature. It was a perfect picnic recipe. Let us know if you’ve made these wonderful little peppers any other way. We’d love to hear your recipes.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
Yield
4 servingsPrep Time / Cook Time
/Activity Guide
Car Camping, PicnicIngredients
- 2-3 cups shishito peppers, whole (about 35 peppers)
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced into chips
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Tools
- Knife
- Skillet
- Stove
- Slotted Spoon or Spatula
- Bowl
Method
- Add oil and garlic chips to a cold skillet, and turn the heat on to medium. This will allow time for the garlic to infuse the oil with flavor.
- Watch the garlic chips carefully, and remove from the oil with a slotted spoon just when they begin to brown. It happens quickly and they are easy to burn. Set aside.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the peppers to the hot garlic oil. They will crackle and blister. Turn them occcasionally until they are shrivelled and blistered all over. You may have to remove smaller ones before larger ones.
- Remove peppers from the pan and place in a bowl. Dust with salt and pepper, and mix in the fresh sliced shallot. Sprinkle the top with garlic chips, and either serve warm, or pack in a jar for enjoying later.
These sound great! The next time you go to the Hollywood Bowl, if you walk to the right of the parking lot up the hill, there are several lovely places to picnic. The higher up you go,the less crowded they are!
@Karen, thanks for the pro tip! We’ll try that this summer.