Simple Supper, No Need for Salt

There are evenings on the roof terrace at Casa Adora when the cooking should be simple, the beer should be cold, and the view should do most of the work. This is one of those suppers.

Pimientos de Padrón are a Galician pepper that found their way into every bar and kitchen in Andalucía and show absolutely no sign of leaving. Small, green, blistered in a hot pan until their skins blister and char — most are mild, but every now and then one catches you completely off guard. That is part of the pleasure.

Griddled asparagus, pimientos de Padrón and feta on the roof terrace at Casa Adora.

Griddle the asparagus alongside until it takes on some colour and a little char of its own. Arrange both on a plate with generous cubes of good feta, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a scattering of flat-leaf parsley and as much freshly ground black pepper as you like.

No salt needed. The feta does that job entirely on its own.

Open a cold Cruzcampo. Sit down. This is supper.

Ingredients for Pimientos de Padrón with Feta and Asparagus

(serves 1)

• A handful of pimientos de Padrón
• A bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
• 100g feta, cut into generous cubes
• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil for griddling

Method

Heat a griddle pan until properly hot. Toss the pimientos de Padrón in a little olive oil and griddle them until blistered and beginning to char. Remove and set aside.

Griddle the asparagus in the same pan until tender with good colour on both sides.

Arrange the asparagus and peppers on a plate. Add the feta, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, scatter over the parsley and finish with plenty of black pepper.

No salt. Serve immediately with something cold.

If you'd like asparagus in a more substantial, baked form, my Roasted Cherry Tomato Tart with Balsamic Onions & Wild Asparagus is worth a try.

For asparagus treated on its own, without the peppers and feta, my Wild Asparagus with Parmesan Shavings and Balsamic Vinegar keeps things even simpler.

This pimientos de Padrón with feta and asparagus is part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection.
It also features in my Cheese Recipes collection — from Welsh rarebit to baked camembert, halloumi, feta and beyond.
Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef