wes has been working at the VERY high end nobu restaurant that recently opened by our house for about five months now. and while their food is absolutely delicious, it is WAY too pricey for either of us to be eating there on the reg. so we have taken to recreating their signature dishes at home. 

since the restaurant is the new hotspot in town, many people have been asking me before they go if i think it is "worth" the somewhat hefty price tag. and the answer is YES. and here is one of my main reasons why. they do even the SIMPLEST things BETTER than anyone else. the dishes i've had there have been heads above other versions of the same japanese dishes i've had at many other places. and my favorite of all? the currently menu trendy shishito peppers. i feel like everywhere i eat these days has shishitos on the menu and the nobu version just crushes all the others. 

so these nobu style shishito peppers have become a reoccurring dish in our house. now nothing is quite as good as the real thing (because food always taste better when someone else made it for you) but they are pretty damn close. 

nobu style shishito peppers
serves: 4
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 8 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
ingredients: 8 oz shishito peppers, washed and dried. 2 tbs sweet miso paste (recommend white miso). 1 tsp lemon juice + lemon wedges for serving. couple pinches kosher salt. 1 tsp sesame seeds. grill trey or large heavy pan. 

start by blistering your shishito peppers. with either a grill trey over the open flame on your stove, or in a hot, large pan, cook the shishitos over high heat till the outsides blister. flipping once or twice. about 5-7 minutes. remove the shishitos from the heat when they have blistered. 

while they are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the miso paste with the lemon juice. use a little more juice from a wedge if need be to make the miso paste more like a sauce. 

when the shishitos are blistered, toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice and miso. 

season with the kosher salt. top with sesame seeds and lemon garnish and serve. 

xo, a 

nobu style shishito peppers
serves: 4
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 8 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
ingredients: 8 oz shishito peppers, washed and dried. 2 tbs sweet miso paste (recommend white miso). 1 tsp lemon juice + lemon wedges for serving. couple pinches kosher salt. 1 tsp sesame seeds. grill trey or large heavy pan.
start by blistering your shishito peppers. with either a grill trey over the open flame on your stove, or in a hot, large pan, cook the shishitos over high heat till the outsides blister. flipping once or twice. about 5-7 minutes. remove the shishitos from the heat when they have blistered. while they are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the miso paste with the lemon juice. use a little more juice from a wedge if need be to make the miso paste more like a sauce. when the shishitos are blistered, toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice and miso. season with the kosher salt. top with sesame seeds and lemon garnish and serve. 

if i had known how easy it was to make homemade ricotta, i would have tried it a LOOONNNNNNGGGGG time ago. i love fresh, creamy, decadent ricotta, but the ones sold at the grocery store leave something to be desired. they are just a bit, artificial. 

for the baby shower wes and i are catering this weekend, i really wanted to serve a delicious balsamic berry jam over ricotta on toast, so it pushed me to take that leap to homemade. 

game. changer. 

it requires ingredients you likely have at home or could pick up in one trip to the store. it takes less than ten minutes of work and it is worth every second. you can order cheesecloth HERE and be making your own in no time. 

homemade ricotta
yields: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 15 minutes
inactive time: 1 hour total time: 1 hour & 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 quart whole milk. .5 cup heavy cream. 2 tbs lemon juice. .5 tsp salt. mesh strainer or sieve.cheesecloth. 

in a large, heavy pot, combine the salt, milk and cream. over a medium heat, gradually bring the liquid to a rolling boil. the time here may vary depending on how cold your milk and cream start out, but anywhere from 5-10 minutes. 

add in the lemon juice and reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering. simmer the liquid till it begins to curdle. about 2-5 minutes. 

remove the pot from the heat and pour the liquid into the strainer lined with cheese cloth placed over a large bowl. 

allow the ricotta to drain for an hour. 

use or store in the fridge for up to two weeks. i recommend it on toast, some lasagna or blood orange & ricotta pancakes.

xo, a

homemade ricotta
yields: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 15 minutes
inactive time: 1 hour total time: 1 hour & 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 quart whole milk. .5 cup heavy cream. 2 tbs lemon juice. .5 tsp salt. mesh strainer or sieve. cheesecloth. in a large, heavy pot, combine the salt, milk and cream. over a medium heat, gradually bring the liquid to a rolling boil. the time here may vary depending on how cold your milk and cream start out, but anywhere from 5-10 minutes. add in the lemon juice and reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering. simmer the liquid till it begins to curdle. about 2-5 minutes. remove the pot from the heat and pour the liquid into the strainer lined with cheese cloth placed over a large bowl. allow the ricotta to drain for an hour. use or store in the fridge for up to two weeks. i recommend it on toast, some lasagna or blood orange & ricotta pancakes.