blistered shishito peppers with lemon paprika aioli

the perfect lazy / fancy summer dish

This week I spent precisely 0.01 hours farming and approximately 500 hours repeatedly asking/begging my toddler “Do you need to go potty?!” and chasing him around in his underwear because yes, we are officially potty training, and yes, it is as hard and painful as I always imagined it would be. (Parents who have gone through this already… when does it get easier?! Please tell me it gets easier). Oh, and last night I got exactly 2 hours of sleep after our son (who has historically been an amazing sleeper) suddenly decided that he’s terrified of the fire detector in his room, and he absolutely could not/would not sleep in there.

I will say – and I’m being sincere here – the silver lining of potty training has been the unparalleled one-on-one time with our almost 3 year old son, as he’s still on summer break and we’re hanging out with him every. single. minute. to get this whole potty training thing figured out before his preschool starts again. We’ve built forts and played trains and made mountains out of gravel and harvested tomatoes and planted seeds and and listened to birds and read books and watched train videos and talked endlessly about the nuances of every construction vehicle known to man and had more potty talk than I ever knew was possible.

photo evidence from my week spent chasing an underwear-clad toddler (note the portable potty in the back of the tractor lol) and playing with all the rocks

I know folks come here for garden tutorials and seasonal recipes (and I love sharing those things!), but sometimes it feels disingenuous for me to talk about how to properly harvest okra or how to cook a perfect risotto when behind the scenes I’m in a completely different head space (ie spending the majority of the past week focused on my child’s bladder, while also being the primary source of comfort + nourishment for a 10 month old baby). I’m not someone who can force a smile, and for better or worse, I’m going to tell you like it is – the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly – in hopes that it makes some of you feel less alone in whatever chaos you’re currently navigating.

So yeah. This week has been equal parts endearing and wildly frustrating, and I know that right now we’re just in the freaking thick of it and the only way out is through.

Chaos and potty training aside… I’m very excited about a new personal project I’m scheming up. It’s something that will require lots of elbow grease here at the farm, but will ultimately allow me to have my own space (!) to pursue some creative (non-work related) outlets – which is something I desperately need, but I’ve put on back burner for the past several years as I’ve been deeply entrenched in mom-mode. Hopefully I can share more about this project with y’all next week…

Also! Coming next Wednesday for paid subscribers is my comprehensive Fall Vegetable Growing Guide, which I’ve been working on behind the scenes for the past several weeks. I know we’re still in the thick of summer, but (at least for friends in the Northern Hemisphere) NOW is the time to plant your fall gardens, and I’m here to guide you every step of the way. And if you have any specific fall gardening questions, just let me know in the comments.

Need some culinary inspiration for the weekend? Here’s my weekly round up of seasonal recipes from around Substack (and my ever-growing recipe index) to help you eat like a farmer:

• Saucy Summer Shrimp with Creamy Polenta from yours truly :)

• 20-Minute Summer Saute from

  Caroline Chambers
  /
  What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking
  (PS – Caroline’s new cookbook just came out this week! I’ve been looking forward to getting this cookbook in my hands all summer, and I can’t wait to dig into all the quick, delish, and fam-friendly recipes).

• Tomato Tart with Garlic & Capers from

  Alison Roman
  /
  a newsletter

Keep reading for today’s recipe for blistered shishito peppers with lemon paprika aioli, available for paid subscribers.

Blistered shishito peppers are the ultimate *fancy / lazy* summer dish. They feel special and bougie and like something you’d see on the menu at a hip, highly instagrammable restaurant – but they also take like 7 minutes, a handful of ingredients, and minimal dishes/mess to make. (And if you want to know what this farmer has been eating all week, I can tell you it has been THIS, over and over).

I know shishito peppers are still kinda new(ish), so here’s a quick overview: Shishitos are a mild frying pepper, and about 1 in every 10 will be HOT, so eating them is a bit of Russian roulette – which is kind of exciting? They are long and slender in size, and they make the perfect little bite when charred in hot oil with a bit of garlic, lemon, salt, and a dusting of parmesan. Admittedly, you probably won’t find shishitos at most grocery stores, but you should be able to source them at your local farmers market (and they’re super easy to grow in a home garden).

But what makes these shishitos *next level* is the wildly easy, entirely irresistible lemon paprika aioli. Don’t snooze on the aioli, please! It will take you literally 2 minutes to make, and you’ll want to lick it with a spoon.

So go get you some shishitos, get ‘em good and blistered up, dip ‘em in some delishhh aioli and relish the very best fruits of this late summer season.

Keep reading for the full recipe (and a handy 1-page PDF for easy printing).

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Blistered Shishito Peppers with Lemon Paprika Aioli

Serves 4