Newsletter: In the kitchen: Shishito peppers and other farmers market gems
One of the great pleasures of living in Southern California is our farmers markets, a network of what are essentially outdoor food halls, where we can shop for dinner, meet friends and revel in our permanent growing season — as well as, these days, pretty permanent blue skies. What this means, of course, is that cooking is always pretty fun here, as it doesn’t take too much to turn our own kitchens into what are essentially farm-to-table restaurants.
This week’s cooking stories highlight that, as they usually do — from a series of recipes showcasing shishito peppers, to a look at what’s at those market stands right now, to a few other recipes that use market ingredients in unexpected ways. If you need more inspiration, check out some of our recent cookbook reviews or, of course, The Times’ Recipe Database.
— Amy Scattergood
More fun with shishito peppers
Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter considers the shishito pepper, the mild-to-hot Japanese peppers that you can find in many sushi restaurants — and, these days, in many farmers markets. What to do with them? Sure, you can grill them and dunk them in soy sauce, but maybe try some other things too.
A brief ode to pears
Farmers markets are loaded with end-of-summer produce right now, but also some great stuff that we normally associate with the colder months: apples and pumpkins — and some pretty spectacular pears. There are Bartlett and Comice pears, Forelle and small Seckel pears, all of which can translate into great seasonal recipes, including a lovely tart called a bourdaloue.
Panda Express at home
If you secretly (or not so secretly) love Panda Express’ orange chicken, but love to cook too, why not have the best of both and make your own? Deputy food editor Jenn Harris shares a recipe from one of her favorite stories, when she cooked her way through her list of favorite fast food guilty pleasures.
Fish on a stick
Chef Marcus Samuelsson has a gift for inventive, flavorful recipes, which his recipe for salmon skewers demonstrates. Because why just toss salmon on the grill when you can douse the fish in tamarind and curry sauce, thread it with skewers and then grill it? The recipe is from Samuelsson’s cookbook, “The Soul of a New Cuisine.” His latest book, “The Red Rooster Cookbook,” comes out in October.
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