Maricel E.
Presilla, food@MiamiHerald.com
A batch of fresh
pimientos del piquillo
I had ordered from California arrived a few weeks ago. Heart-shaped
with pointy tips and a dazzling, glossy vermilion hue, they were so
beautiful I was torn between cooking them and piling them on a
decorative plate as a still life.
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My
appetite and
curiosity won the day, and I sacrificed them to the heat of my Weber
grill. They blistered without splitting, and their parched skin, thin
and translucent, came off like a glove. That is one of the reasons
these peppers, a specialty of Navarre in northern Spain, are roasted on
embers and canned as soon as they are picked, often by the same people
who grow them. Fresh or canned, piquillos are the ultimate sweet
cooking pepper. The two-lobed fruits have a sweet, tangy flavor, thin
yet sturdy flesh and a shape that is perfect for stuffing.
Spanish cooks like to fill them with seafood preparations, from cod to
tuna. At my restaurant Zafra, I use refried pinto beans scented with
avocado leaves and licorice-scented hoja santa, top them with grated
Manchego and broil them until the cheese is bubbly. Simply
sautéed in
olive oil with garlic slivers, they make a delicate side dish for
grilled meats. Descended from a New World pepper strain brought to the
Ebro River Valley, the piquillo has two main types, one small
and one larger and thicker-fleshed, called pico.
Considered the world's finest, piquillos of the smaller type grown in
the village of Lodosa and seven nearby municipalities in Navarre carry
the Lodosa denomination of origin label. Known only locally less than
20 years ago, piquillos have become international super stars, and are
now grown in elsewhere in Spain, including La Rioja, and as far away as
China, Turkey and Peru. The dry conditions, warm days and cool
nights of Peru's northern coastal valleys are kind to peppers. Peruvian
agronomists and entrepreneurs see specialty produce such as piquillos
as a new frontier in areas where traditional crops such as rice are
being abandoned because of competition from cheaper Asian imports.
Peruvians prefer their own hot peppers, so there isn't much of a
domestic market for Peruvian piquillos. Most are roasted locally and
exported in unlabeled jars and cans, primarily to Spain, the European
Union and the United States. (By Spanish law, imports should be labeled
as such, but that has not always been the case.) The story of the piquillo
is the story of our increasingly global economy: Consumers worldwide
are guaranteed abundant supplies of the coveted pepper and Peruvian
farmers have new opportunities in depressed areas. However, the farmers
of Navarre, faced with high production costs and shrinking arable land,
see their livelihood threatened. In the end, we can only hope that
quality prevails and traditional crops are preserved.
Culinary historian
Maricel E. Presilla is the chef/co-owner of
Cucharamama and Zafra in Hoboken, N.J. Her latest book is The New Taste
of Chocolate. Product: Piquillo Peppers. Fresh:
Available by mail-order from Happy
Quail Farms in East Palo Alto,
Calif. (650-325-0823, happyquailfarms.com) for about $6 a pound
plus
shipping; minimum order 2 pounds. Canned: Available at Spanish
delis including La Vasca, 3407 SW Eighth St., Miami (305-461-1898) and
Delicias de España, 4016 SW 57th Ave., South Miami
(305-669-4485). Look
for the numbered Lodosa DO (denomination of origin) label.
Cocina:
Recipe SIDE DISH SAUTEED PIQUILLO PEPPERS WITH MILK (Pimientos
De Piquillo Rehogados)
Basque chef and cookbook author Teresa Barrenechea adds her own
twist to this traditional recipe (pictured on Page 7) with a bit of
milk in the oil. The two bind with the juice of the peppers to form a
delicious ivory sauce. Serve as a tapa with crusty bread or as a side
dish for meats. Pair with a fresh rosé wine from Navarre. * 6
tablespoons olive oil * 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced * 1 (10-ounce)
jar whole piquillo peppers (about 18; available in Spanish
markets and delis) * Coarse sea salt * 1/4 cup whole milk
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the garlic
and sauté until golden, about 40 seconds. Add the peppers and
reduce
the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and stir briefly. Add the milk
and decrease the heat to low. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, to
make an ivory sauce. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Source:
Adapted from The Cuisines of Spain by Teresa Barrenechea (Ten Speed,
$40).
Per serving: 205 calories (89 percent from fat), 20.8 g fat (3 g
saturated, 15.1 g monounsaturated), 1.5 mg cholesterol, 1.2 g protein,
4.8 g carbohydrates, 0.9 g fiber, 838.3 mg sodium. |
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Illustration:Color
photo: Pimientos (a), Pimientos del piquillo, a specialty of
Navarre in northern Spain, are now grown China, Peru and California,
too (a)
MARICEL E.
PRESILLA/FOR THE MIAMI HERALD FRESH: Pimientos del piquillo, a
specialty of Navarre in northern Spain, are now grown China, Peru and
California, too. |
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