Pop Some Padrón Peppers for a Spicy Appetizer

One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday is head to The Hollywood Farmer's Market. While the main attraction is the row after row of beautiful produce, the second reason I go is to eat non-breakfast foods for breakfast from the various, delicious food stands. There's the stand that serves fresh oysters and sea urchin still in its shell; there's the stand that serves freshly handmade pupusas; and lastly, my personal favorite, the stand that sells blistered shishito peppers, to order.

They're blistered in what resembles the contraption that mixes raffle tickets. The shishito peppers go around and around until they're crisp and cooked on the outside. They're usually sprinkled with a bit of sea salt and served piping hot.

Since pepper season is upon us, I thought it'd be fun to cook Padrón peppers in the same style - sans raffle ticket rotator, of course - and top them with bonito flakes and a liberal amount of orange zest. I love the added earthy flavor from the bonito flakes and the acidic element from the orange zest. Cooking these peppers take only a few minutes to throw together, making them such great appetizer or snack, especially when eaten with a tall glass of cold beer. If you're lucky you'll get one of the few spicy peppers; most are mild, but when they're hot, they're hot so beware!