Upgrade your grilled cheese sandwich with shishito peppers

Shishito pepper fan? These small peppers are often found at Japanese restaurants, quickly blistered and flavored perhaps with a combination of soy sauce, vinegar and bonito flakes. Sometimes they are deep-fried as a sort of tempura. But the Japanese peppers are increasingly popular on restaurant menus, turning up in a variety of dishes. And what’s not to love? The peppers are mild with a fresh, almost sweet flavor, though every once in a while one packs a jolt of heat.

For a fun take on a grilled cheese sandwich, bliister a handful of peppers and layer them with quick-pickled carrot and daikon radish, fresh cilantro, and plenty of cheese. Griddle the sandwich until nice and toasty on the outside and the cheese just begins to ooze. Flavor-wise, it’s kind of like pairing your favorite grilled cheese with a banh mi sandwich. Just be sure to serve it with plenty of napkins — something this delicious can get a little messy.

SHISHITO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Total time: 25 minutes, plus pickling time | Makes 1 sandwich

Note: From Noelle Carter. Use a combination of Abbaye de Belloc (a sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque region of France) and Bethmale (a goat’s milk cheese from the same region), or a combination of crumbled fresh goat and part-skim mozzarella cheeses to make the sandwich.

QUICK PICKLED CARROT AND DAIKON

3/4 pound carrots (about 4)

3/4 pound daikon radish root

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1. Peel and finely julienne the carrot and daikon, and place in a glass or non-reactive container or bowl.

2. In a saucepan, heat the sugar, water, vinegar and salt over high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Continue heating just until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the vegetables.

3. Stir the mixture, coating the vegetables and making sure they are submerged (if necessary, weight them down to keep them under the liquid). Set aside for ½ to 1 hour to quickly pickle, then cover and refrigerate. This makes about 3 cups drained pickles, which will keep, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks.

SHISHITO GRILLED CHEESE

8 shishito peppers

2 large slices French or Italian bread

6 to 8 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie brand, more if needed

3 ounces cheese (see note)

1/3 cup drained quick-pickled carrots and daikon, or as desired

Fresh sprigs of cilantro

1. Heat a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shishito peppers and toast until softened and blistered on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes, rotating frequently. Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

2. Spread 1 side of each of the slices of bread with mayonnaise. Top each slice with half of the cheese. On top of one slice, arrange the shishito peppers, then the drained pickles and cilantro sprigs. Top with the inverted second slice of bread to form a sandwich, pressing gently so everything stays together.

3. Heat the griddle over medium-high heat until hot. Meanwhile, spread the outside of one side of the sandwich with mayonnaise.

4. Invert the sandwich onto the hot griddle, and butter the second (top) side with mayonnaise. Grill the sandwich until the bread is crisp and golden-brown, and the cheese is starting to melt. Flip the sandwich and repeat with the second side. Remove from heat.

5. Slice the sandwich and serve immediately.

Each of 2 servings: Calories 592; Protein 13 grams; Carbohydrates 31 grams; Fiber 4 grams; Fat 47 grams; Saturated fat 12 grams; Cholesterol 60 mg; Sugar 13 grams; Sodium 919 mg

Love cooking as much as I do? Follow me @noellecarter

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