First, an apology....
Hey guys. What can I say? Have you ever had a 4 week + span in which you have been bombarded with work and life and not really been able to update your blog to the standards you'd like?
Well, that's pretty much what's been going on. I moved, went on vacation and then got bodyslammed by work, and then went to NYC and turned old (yay birthdays!). You know it's bad when your dear mother emails you with "Where has Ellenfork gone?? I miss her..."
Guilt trip to the max. But it's not because I don't still love each and every one of you like the food lusting children I don't have. Let's just make up and move on, ok y'all?
Now the fun part...
Before this marathon of packing, moving, unpacking, working and traveling ensued, I prepared. I prepared for the day when it would be my good fortune to snack again. You saw the Preserved Lemons, now please let me introduce you to Pickled Jalapeños.
For some reason, I've been obsessing over the idea of pickling, canning and preserving. Perhaps this is because as summer progresses, so does the possibility of an overflow of vegetables from my CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture- wherein I receive boxes of fresh vegetables from a local organic farm, all summer long!!!). My thoughts have turned to canned tomatoes and pickled veggies of kinds. As you may have learned by now, my tastes strongly lean towards tangy, savory and acidic foodstuffs, and pickles and other brine-saturated items are at the top of my snack list. Pickled beets, cucumbers, onions, cauliflower, okra, carrots, green beans...give me one of each, please!
This delightful and simple recipe came from David Lebovitz, by way of Michael Symon's Live to Cook.
Pickled Jalapeños
1 pound fresh jalapeno peppers, washed
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons coarse salt, such as kosher
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1. Pierce the flesh of the peppers three or so times and place them in a glass jar. I used a delightful jar called "Slom" from Ikea.
2. In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the other ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes, then pour the brine
over the peppers. Place the lid on the jar and let cool. Once cool,
refrigerate for at least a week before using, but more is better. They should last up to six months in the fridge.
David says "Serve whole, with Mexican dishes, or remove the seeds then chop and use
to season any recipe that is improved by a little bit of sweet heat."
So far I've chopped these up and added them to napa cabbage slaw, marinated steaks with them and added them to fish tacos for some spicy crunch. Seriously, these babies are amazing!! AND, I can't wait to use them more often, as the Rick Bayless cookbook my mother gave me for my birthday calls for Pickled J's a lot.
Tell me, how would YOU use these little guys?
