Make Padron Peppers the Center of your Meal!

Those fantastic little peppers that everyone is raving about are called “padron”! I get them quite often in my Talley Farms CSA box and they make the best appetizer simply by coating them with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper and pan frying or grilling them to blistering, smokey perfection. So far, I have also served them in omelets, fritters and roasted with other veggies. (You can find those recipes in my index by typing “padron” in the search field)

I thought I would research other ideas for using them online and came across this idea for Padron Pepper Tacos. I wasn’t sure they would be able to stand on their own as the star in this dish, but boy was I surprised!

The tacos are layered with goat cheese, avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro lime creme and topped with the blistered padron peppers. I added some of my tomatillo salsa for additional zing and then topped everything off with fresh cilantro leaves. All nestled in a lightly toasted blue corn and flaxseed tortilla, these tacos were absolutely amazing!

The peppers are so easy to prepare as all you need to do is to clean them and cut off their stem. There is no seeding or peeling necessary. They pop in your mouth – whole, for a wonderful taste sensation! The most fun thing about these peppers is that about every 1 or 2 in 10 of them has a bit of heat and the rest are quite mild. It’s just enough to wake you up to say WOW, that was surprising!

PADRON PEPPER TACOS

Yield: 4 tacos

Ingredients

• 2 small tomatoes
• salt, as needed 
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus a few leaves for garnish
• juice of half a lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pint basket padron peppers
• 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas (or a corn/wheat blend) 
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium-sized ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
• several paper-thin slivers from a red onion
• tomatillo salsa (or other variety), optional
• lime wedges 

Directions

1. Dice the tomatoes, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let drain in a sieve while you get on with the recipe.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and a big pinch of salt. Taste, adding more lime or salt if you like. Set aside, or cover and chill for up to a day or two. 
3. Use a pair of scissors to cut the stems off the peppers (their crowns are edible). Rinse the peppers and drain them well. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 10″ cast iron skillet set over a medium flame until it shimmers. Add the peppers and cook, tossing occasionally, until blistered all over and blackened in places, about 5 minutes.
   They will pop and spit; lower the temperature if things are getting too crazy. Alternately you can toss the peppers with the olive oil, salt & pepper and grill them on a gas grill laid on top of a mesh screen or bbq grill pan.
4. In another skillet, warm the tortillas on both sides until soft and pliable. If using a grill to cook the peppers, use it to warm the tortillas as well by placing them directly on the grill over a very low flame and turn frequently. Cook until pliable and lightly toasted. Place the tortillas on a couple of plates, and build the tacos in the following order:
   1. goat cheese
   2. avocado slices
   3. diced tomato
   4. sliced onion
   5. cilantro lime crema
   6. tomatillo salsa, optional
   7. padron peppers 
5. Top with a few cilantro leaves. Serve immediately, with lime wedges for squeezing over the tops.

(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Main Entrees)