With an abundance of peppers, it's great to preserve them so that you can enjoy them a while longer. This quick pickled pepper recipe is great as the honey tones down the heat if you are using spicy ones! Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate, https://cookieandkate.com/
Ingredients
- ½ pound jalapeños or cubanelle peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar of choice
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
- First, prepare your peppers: Wear gloves to prevent your fingers from feeling burned. For less spicy pickles, use a paring knife to remove the membranes and seeds before slicing (this is a lot of work, so I just pulled out the larger membranes from my sliced pickles). Slice the pickles into thin rounds with a chef’s knife. If you’re still concerned about the spice level of the pickles, run the sliced peppers under running water in a colander to try to knock off any remaining seeds. Slice off the top of the bell pepper and remove the seeds and membranes. Chop the bell pepper.
- Combine the prepared peppers and smashed garlic in a 28-ounce (1.75 pints) or larger glass jar. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, honey and salt. Bring the mixture close to a boil on the stove, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sweetener into the liquid. Remove from heat and carefully pour the liquid over the peppers. Use a butter knife to poke down the peppers so they all fit and there aren’t any hidden air pockets.
- Let the pickles cool to room temperature in the jar, then screw on a lid and refrigerate the pickles. Depending on how thinly you sliced the peppers, they could be ready to eat immediately or might need a couple of days in the refrigerator before they taste fully pickled. They are best when relatively fresh, but keep well for at least a month.