Say Arrivederci to Summer With the Most Popular Pepper in Town

We’ve reached the end of our summer produce series with Natoora. Even though there are officially a few weeks left of summer, this will be our final recipe in this particular collection of stories. You can learn more about Natoora and how they work with farmers in our first piece of the series.

Two weeks ago, I ordered one of Natoora’s peak season produce boxes, which always contains an assortment of the best-tasting, most in-season produce of the moment. In that box was a half pound of early Jimmy Nardello peppers, a sweet heirloom variety named after the son of Italian immigrants who brought the seeds from the old country to Connecticut. They’ve become very popular over the years, with farmers markets, specialty grocers and restaurants teeming with the mild red peppers come mid-August.

“We source these heirloom seeds locally from Jack in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania,” says Natoora brand manager Phoebe Creaghan. “Jack tells us he loves to grow them, as they’re ‘right at that intersection of unique heirloom flavor and productivity.’ He grows them outdoors and never picks until they’re fully ripe. As of this week, we will be sourcing yellow Jimmy Nardellos for the first time, grown by Max and Maria [from MX Morningstar Farm] in Hudson.”

I was debating what to do with these Jimmy Nardello peppers — should I stuff them, pickle them or simply grill them? I went with the latter and served them charred and dressed with salt and garlic olive oil. Served alongside roasted pork loin, grilled shrimp and an heirloom tomato salad, the peppers were the first to go, and everyone at the table raved about them. If you come across them this week at your local farmers market, here’s how to get the most out of them, courtesy of Natoora:

• What to look for when shopping: A longer, slender pepper characterized by its vibrant red skin, which doesn’t dull upon cooking. They are firmer and smaller than commercially produced peppers. Stem will show the freshness — it’s ideally green and not dry.

• How to store for maximum freshness: Cold and dry

• How to use: Sauté, grill, roast, pickle or dry them out to preserve them.

It’s Finally Time for Everyone’s Favorite Summer Vegetable

Whether you like your corn buttered, burnt or served in a boil, this is the season to indulge

The Recipe

At Sungold, the bustling restaurant on the ground floor of Arlo Williamsburg, you’re likely never going to eat the same meal twice, as Executive Chef Michael King and his team are constantly scouring the Union Square Greenmarket for the freshest in-season local produce. That might mean seeking out the finest heirloom tomatoes or winter squash, but at this moment, Jimmy Nardello peppers are the star.

“This summer at Sungold, we’re serving Nardellos as a kind of spin on a jalapeño popper,” King says. “We roast them whole, stuff them with hot honey ricotta, bake them in the oven topped with herb breadcrumbs and serve with a sriracha-style Nardello sauce and a couple of garnishes. The sauce takes five days to ferment — if you do not have time to make the sauce, the peppers are still great without.”

Whether you want to prep them simply like I did or turn them into a grand dish like King, get to your farmers market this week while this of-the-moment ingredient is still at its prime.

Sungold's Roasted Jimmy Nardello Peppers

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. Jimmy Nardello peppers, divided
• 3 garlic cloves
• 15 grams granulated sugar
• 18 grams light brown sugar
• 10 grams Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 125 grams distilled white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 15 grams morita chiles
• 15 grams guajillo chiles, stems removed
• 20 grams honey
• 8 oz. whole milk ricotta
• 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ⅓ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
• ⅛ cup white sugar
• 2 mint sprigs, torn

Directions

• For the Nardello sriracha:
• Roughly chop 2 lbs. of the Nardellos and combine with garlic, granulated and brown sugars, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Chop in the food processor for 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean container tightly covered with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature for 5 days.
• Uncover the ferment and scrape off any white yeast that has accumulated on the top. If any dark mold appears, everything must be discarded. Combine with the white vinegar in a pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender, puree and refrigerate until needed.
• For the morita honey:
• In a small pot over medium heat, melt the butter, add the guajillo and morita chiles and toast until the butter just begins to brown. Carefully add the honey and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let the chiles steep for at least 10 minutes before straining. Refrigerate until needed.
• For the ricotta:
• In a bowl, combine ricotta and honey and whisk together. Whisk in the cream to thin — the ricotta should still be thick, like hummus. Season with salt, adding more cream if needed. Transfer into a piping bag. Refrigerate until needed.
• For the pickled Nardellos:
• Slice two of the Nardellos into thin rings and transfer to a container. In a small pot, combine the white balsamic and sugar with 3/4 cup water and two pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and pour it over the Nardellos. Cover tightly and refrigerate until needed.

To finish the dish:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, toss the remaining peppers with some olive oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan with parchment paper and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Their skins should be starting to wrinkle and getting soft, but do not overcook them or they’ll fall apart when stuffed. Let cool to room temperature.
2. With a paring knife, cut a half-inch slit the long way at the center of each pepper. Cut a small opening in the pastry bag tip and gently fill each pepper. It is best to fill the bottom of the pepper, turn it around and then fill the top to get them as full as possible without letting them burst.
3. When all your peppers are stuffed, arrange them in a single layer on a sheet pan with parchment paper, opening side up. Cover with the breadcrumbs. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes until they are warm throughout.
4. On your serving dish, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Arrange the stuffed Nardellos and garnish with the mint (or any soft herbs you have, like parsley), the pickled Nardello rings and finish with good olive oil.