Stuffed Shishitos Food

FETA-STUFFED SHISHITOS IN PHYLLO

Steps:

• Toss peppers with oil; season with salt. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high; add peppers and cook, stirring, until blistered, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool completely.
• Stir together feta and cream cheese in a small bowl until smooth. Make a small slit along long side of each pepper; stuff peppers with cheese mixture.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface; brush with oil. (Keep rest of phyllo covered with a damp towel as you work.) Cut lengthwise into 3-to-4-inch-wide strips (slightly smaller than peppers). Place a pepper at bottom of each strip; tightly roll. Transfer, seam-side down, to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush top with oil; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat with remaining peppers and phyllo. (Rolled peppers can be frozen, covered tightly, up to 2 weeks.) Bake until phyllo is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

LEMON CHICKEN WITH SHISHITO PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet; keep warm in the oven.
• Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the shishito peppers and cook, tossing, until browned in spots, 3 minutes. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Add the garlic and lemon slices to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, without flipping the lemons, until they start browning, 2 minutes. Flip the lemons and cook until soft and golden, about 1 minute. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
• Reduce the heat to medium; add the lemon juice and wine and cook until reduced by half, 3 minutes. Add the broth; cook until slightly reduced, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the butter until the sauce thickens. Add the parsley; season with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken with the shishitos and rice; top with the sauce.

SAUTEED SHISHITO PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the whole peppers in one layer and sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, tossing often until blistered and browned. Off the heat, squeeze some lime juice on the peppers and sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Serve hot right from the pan or transfer to a small serving dish. Have a dish nearby for discarding the stems.

SAUTéED SHISHITO PEPPERS: SUMMER'S BEST NEW BITE

Steps:

• Here's what you do. Heat a little olive oil in a wide sauté pan until it is good and hot but not smoking. Add the peppers and cook them over medium, tossing and turning them frequently until they blister. They shouldn't char except in places. Don't rush. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to cook a panful of peppers. When they're done, toss them with sea salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Slide the peppers into a bowl and serve them hot. You pick them up by the stem end and eat the whole thing, minus the stem, that is.
• You can probably do fancier, cheffy things with them, but they're terrific like this. For variety, I sometimes use a little toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil and finish them with togarashi. If you have leftovers, an unlikely event in my experience, chop off the stems and put the peppers in an omelet or some scrambled eggs.