Friday, February 20, 2015

Homemade Pickled Jalapeños

My dear son-in-law, Joe Q, is a big fan of pickled jalapeños.  Being the uber creative and resourceful man that he is, he figured out how to make his own.  When we were last together, I asked him to make some and show me how so I could start doing my own too.  So get ready for some yummy stuff!

The first, and most important part is, of course, the jalapeños.  You'll want about a dozen, which can be thinly sliced, cutting off the stem and tip, but leaving the seeds in.  For a dozen peppers, peel a small head of garlic - about 10 cloves - quarter those lengthwise, and add 1/2 a yellow onion, sliced in crescents.  If you're a contact lens wearer like I am, best to put on some gloves or your eyes will scream at you later!



In a small pot, put equal parts water and white vinegar - about a cup each, and add 1 Tablespoon salt. Bring that to a boil:


Once the vinegar / water mixture has boiled, take it off the heat and stir the jalapeño mixture into it:




Once they're all stirred in, the vinegar/water mixture will change the color from the bright green to the color of "store bought" pickled jalapeños - just like that!  Store them in the fridge in a glass jar, and you've a nice condiment to add some zip to your food.

Here's the recipe:

12 jalapeno peppers
10 garlic cloves, quartered lengthwise
1/2 yellow onion. cut into lengthwise crescents
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon salt

Cut the stem and tip end off the jalapeños and slice into rings.  Take care with your hands and wear protective gloves as the jalapeño on them will burn your eyes if touched, long after handling them. Peel and quarter lengthwise the garlic.  Slice the 1/2 onion into lengthwise crescents.

In a saucepan, combine water, vinegar and salt,  Bring to a boil

Remove vinegar mixture from heat and stir in jalapeño mixture.  After it has cooled awhile, pour into a glass jar(s) and store in the refrigerator. You can enjoy them right away!