sesame-fried shishito peppers

like the daikon radish or momotaro tomatoes, shishito peppers are special japanese treats that – lucky for us – are easily grown in california.  and lucky for me, the local japanese family farm i work for carries them. most of these miniature peppers are very mild, almost like a bell pepper with just the tiniest bite of spice that is not at all hot.  one in every 20 or so might be spicier, but cooking helps reduce the heat of the... Read More

corn salsa

my parents are really into peppers and spicy food. the theme of my mom’s kitchen is part southwest, part chili peppers. this amounted to me learning how to make stellar salsa at a young age. it’s a pretty simple blend of tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, cilantro salt and lime juice that you can tweak to your preference. different tomatoes, beans, green onions, avocado or–as i’ve used here– corn, can customize the... Read More