Newsletter no. 3 · Garden

Piquillo pepper

Flame-roasted, hand-peeled

Small, deep red and beak-shaped. The piquillo is one of the great treasures of the Navarrese garden, and its Designation of Origin version is only grown and prepared in eight localities.

municipalities: Andosilla, Azagra, Cárcar, Lerín, Lodosa, Mendavia, San Adrián and Sartaguda: 8
year of the Designation of Origin: 1987
weight of each pepper: 35–50 g
hand-picked, week by week: Sept.–Nov.

An artisan process

After harvesting, the peppers are washed and roasted directly over the flame. Then the core, skin and seeds are removed, without water, so as not to lose flavour. They are selected one by one, packed and sterilised. This is how they get their fleshy texture and that characteristic sweet, smoky touch.

What is that liquid in the jar?

That thick juice you find when you open the jar is the pepper's own juice. Do not throw it away: use it for the sauce, a sofrito or to stew the stuffed peppers.

How to enjoy it

In a salad: cut it just before serving to keep its vitamins.
With red meat: its vitamin C helps absorb the iron.
Confit over a low heat with garlic and oil, as a side.
Stuffed with cod, meat or mushrooms: a Navarrese classic.

How to recognise the genuine one

Only producers within the D.O. may use the name “Pimientos del Piquillo de Lodosa”. Look for the official logo and the numbered back label of the Regulatory Council.

At Estafeta Gourmet