You Should Definitely Cook These Creamy Peppers
When it comes to creamed veggies, spinach and corn get the most kudos. Unless you’re obsessed with steak dinner, you probably don’t think too much about veggies with cream, and you certainly don’t think about other extra veggies with cream. It’s okay, because the smart brains at Serious Eats think about these things, and that’s how shishito peppers and cream got on my radar.
The recipe is simple but effective. Saute some shishito with shallots and garlic until everything is nice and tender, then add the cream and let it simmer until it becomes a thick sauce. Add some cheese. There is.
This recipe made me think: why not make a cream out of other peppers? Shishito are adorable, but not ubiquitous. Can I have a humble mini sweet pepper? (Yes.) And would that be good? (Also yes.)
Mini sweet peppers are exactly what they look like. They are small and sweet, and come in classic peppery colors (red, yellow, and orange). There is something very cheerful about them – they taste sunny. This makes them excellent candidates for cream, as their savory flavor is well preserved under a thick heavy cream and cheese sauce.
How you cut the pepper will affect its texture in the finished dish. Sow them, then cut into small half rings. Slice them very thinly if you want them to melt in the sauce. If you want a tastier pepper that retains some of its juicy spiciness, aim for semi-circles that are about half an inch thick.
Light sweet pepper with cream
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat or your favorite cooking oil
- 8 ounces mini sweet peppers, de-seeded and chopped to your liking
- 1 small onion, cut into half rings
- Salt and pepper (I used ground white pepper for cooking and a freshly ground mixture for finishing).
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Pecorino Romano, at least an ounce, plus more for finishing
Heat the fat of your choice in a large stainless steel skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft but not browned, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add the cream and bring to a boil, stirring constantly so that the cream does not burn. Continue cooking and stirring until the cream turns into a thick sauce. Add an ounce of pecorino romano and stir to melt. Transfer to a serving bowl and add a small handful of cheese and freshly ground pepper.