I am quickly developing a penchant for purple and blue food items that are supposed to be another color. What do I mean? I'm thinking purple potatoes, purple cauliflower, purple carrots. Besides being extraordinarily high in anti-oxidants (much like blueberries, the so-called "brain food"), I think they're more delicious than their conventionally colored counterparts. They're nuttier, earthier, and generally richer in flavor.
Plus, I don't think I'll ever get tired of the novelty of eating something purple that is not grapes or eggplants.
So the other day I was wandering the produce section at Berkeley Bowl when I came across this strange thing next to the green, red, orange, and yellow bell peppers. A purple pepper! I'd never seen anything like it before. Of course I grabbed one just so I could take it home, cut it up, see what's inside, and know what it tasted like.
And whaddya know, inside it wasn't purple at all, but white. Maybe a tinge of green, but I was delighted to see the beautiful contrast of colors. I turned to Google for some purple pepper recipes, but came up rather short. Apparently it's a shame to cook the peppers because that kills the gorgeous color, and anyway purple peppers are actually the least ripe of all peppers and the least sweet (left on the vine, purple peppers will eventually turn green, then yellow/orange/red).
So I just sliced it up and stuck it in a salad. Can't say it had a ton of flavor but it added a nice crispy texture. I'll definitely be getting them again.
P.S. The title of this post refers to the old Dr. Pepper slogan, which I first heard in the movie Short Circuit (I know, I'm dating myself now).
P.P.S. Yes, I created a new tag called "Purple Things"! Stay tuned for blue corn pancakes!