Recommendations
Padrón peppers with Kopke Dry White Aperitivo
On the plate lie blistered Padron peppers, charred on the outside and soft, with coarse sea salt flakes over them. Against that the port sets a dry, chilled glass that keeps the salt in check and takes away the oil.
From the shelf
The bottle
Kopke is a port house from the Douro, founded in 1638, and the Dry White Aperitivo is the dry white port of the range. It is 20 percent alcohol and comes in 75 centilitres. The house blends it from wines with an average age of eight years, which places it in the official classification among aged white ports: a white reserve requires at least seven years of ageing in wood. Those years give the wine a golden tint and a dry, almost nutty finish. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto gives a serving temperature of 6 to 10 degrees for white port.
The combination
Why this works together
Padrón peppers are a plate with two faces. Most of them are mild and green, with a slight sweetness from the blistering, but now and then there is a pepper among them that is really hot. Against that unpredictability a dry white port is a calmer partner than water: the alcohol and the cold do not cool the heat away, but they do take the oil off the tongue, so the heat does not linger. Because the port is dry, it sets not sweetness against the coarse salt but acidity, and that acidity stretches the flavour instead of flattening it. The eight years of ageing also give the glass a nutty, slightly dried tone, and that connects with the blistered skin of the peppers.
At the table
The dish
- For 4 people
- Ready in 10 minutes
- Type starter
What you need
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 340 g Padron peppers
- coarse sea salt flakes
How to make it
- Heat the olive oil over high heat in a heavy pan large enough to lay the peppers in a single layer. The oil must be hot and shimmering, but not smoking.
- Add the small peppers and fry them for about a minute and a half, turning now and then, until the skin blisters and the peppers are al dente.
- Spoon them out of the pan onto a platter, sprinkle generously with sea salt flakes and serve immediately.
In the glass
Serving
Serve this dry white port at 6 to 10 degrees. Use a tulip-shaped glass and fill it no further than a third. Decanting is not necessary. Because this bottle has years of ageing behind it, it keeps longer after opening than a young white port: for white port with an age statement the institute uses one to four months. Afterwards store the bottle upright in the fridge with the cork in.
All about Kopke Dry White AperitivoBack to Recommendations from ’t Bockje
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