Blistered shishito peppers with Romesco & Thai Basil Kewpie

Who: Chef Gemma Kamin-Korn

Instagram: @BeauBklyn

Chef Kamin-Korn’s Guest-Worthy Recipe: Blistered Shishito Peppers with Romesco & Thai Basil Kewpie

Why?

“Peppers are a summer staple; crisp and refreshing. This dish highlights both shishitos and red bell peppers. Shishitos are great to cook outside on a grill and super simple. This dish has great wow factor for guests, but is simple to execute, making it perfect for summer entertaining.”

Ingredients:

For the Romesco

12 shishito peppers

1 Spanish onion

5 cloves of garlic

1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled

1/2 stalk lemongrass, bruised

2 red bell peppers

1 tsp Sambal

1/3 c tomato paste

1/4 c rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp fish sauce

1 c water

For the basil Kewpie

1/2 c chopped Thai basil

1 bottle kewpie mayo

Directions:

For the shishitos:

Toss peppers into a bowl and coat with a small amount of neutral oil and a few pinches of kosher salt.

Put on a super-hot grill for a few minutes until they get a little bit of char on them, while still keeping bright green color and crunch. Flip the peppers and let char for a couple more minutes.

Pull the peppers off the grill onto a large tray, so they can spread out.Sprinkle the shishitos with some sea salt (such as maldon), and squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon over top.

For the Romesco:

Sautee onion, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass.

When soft with some color, add bell pepper and sauté until soft. Add sambal and cook out. Add tomato paste and cook until caramelized.

Add rice vinegar and fish sauce. Add one cup water and cook out half way, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Blend all while hot until smooth.

For plating:

Smear Romesco sauce onto a serving platter, and use the Basil kewpie to swirl through the Romesco.

Top with the shishitos and garnish with torn Thai basil leaves. The sauces can also be plated on the side for spooning and dipping.