Summer's coming - bring on the Padróns!

Summer is coming. I wanted to use an exclamation mark here, but then realised I've been too caught up with delayed-onset Game of Thrones fever to miss out on the tenuous link. I'm only part way through the first book, so it'll be interesting to see whether I find myself inspired to do GoT themed food later on.

This is not Game of Thrones inspired. This is quick, simple Spanish fare, and if you haven't tried it yet, you have to. Go out and buy some Pimientos de Padrón (Padrón peppers) as soon as you can!

I do as my family does - these go with pre-dinner drinks if I have them, or are a cheeky afternoon snack instead of a packet of crisps. I tend to eat 4 at a time, only because the dimensions of my pixi pan limit me considerably. I love my pixi pan - it's a frying pan whose circumference is a little larger than the palm of my hand.

Here's what you do:
1. Heat oil in a little pan.

2. Pierce your Padróns once on each side with a sharp knife (no picture of this as I only figured it out during a later cooking escapade where one puffed up and exploded. Not fun or safe).

3. Put the Padróns in the hot oil carefully.

4. Allow the skins to blister and turn brown. Keep turning the peppers.

5. Once the peppers are well browned and soft to the touch, place onto a plate sprinkle with coarse-grained sea salt (I absolutely love sea salt, so I used quite a lot here -- you don't need nearly so much as is evidenced by the final picture in which most of the salt crystals are exactly where they were).

6. Allow to sit on the cool plate for a moment or two so that they're not mouth-ruiningly hot, then eat whole, seeds and all (leave the stem, though).

For beer-drinkers out there, this favourite Spanish bar snack goes well with a cold one. If you're more like me, a glass of crisp white wine or Prosecco is good, or if you're like the other side of my personality, a nice, zingy apple juice with a wedge of lime would work well, too. Make sure to add lots of ice.

Enjoy, and bring on the sunshine!