Preserved Peppers Recipes

PRESERVED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Roast your peppers. Ideally this is over a smoky wood fire, on a grill. Second choice is a gas grill, third an open burner on a stove. Alternatively, arrange your peppers on a broiling pan and broil them. No matter what your heating method, you will need to turn your peppers from time to time as the skins char and blacken. When the peppers are mostly blackened, remove them to a paper grocery bag and roll up the bag to seal in the steam. You want to steam the peppers in their own juices. Let the bag sit for 20 to 40 minutes.
• After the peppers have cooled enough to handle, take them out one at a time and remove the skins, stems and seeds. Do not run the peppers under water, as this robs them of flavor. Once each pepper is cleaned - get as many seeds out as you can - drop it in a bowl. Do all the peppers before proceeding.
• Once all the peppers are cleaned and in the bowl, get a shallow bowl or small casserole pan and pour in some vinegar. I use red wine, cider or sherry vinegar for red peppers (sherry when I want them to be Spanish, cider for Portuguese, red wine for Italian or Greek) and white wine for green peppers. Dredge each pepper through the vinegar a few times to get it good and coated. Place it in another bowl. Do this for all the peppers.
• Sprinkle the bowl of peppers with kosher salt. Gently mix the peppers together like a salad. Sprinkle a little more salt and repeat. Sprinkle a little salt into the bowl with the pepper juice - the original bowl.
• Gather canning jars and pour a little vinegar into each one; enough to cover the bottom of the jar. Pack in the peppers, leaving 1 to 2 inches of space at the top. Use a butter knife or chopstick to run down the sides of the jars, releasing air bubbles. You will notice the level of liquid drop. Fill it with the salted pepper juice - but still leave room at the top of the jar.
• Once the air is out to the best of your ability and the vinegar-pepper juice it right at the top of the level of the peppers, pour in olive oil on top of everything to a depth of 1/4 inch. Screw the lids on the jars and you're done. No sealing needed. These peppers will last a year in the refrigerator, although they will soften over time.

PRESERVING PEPPERS IN VINEGAR AND SALT

Steps:

• Wash your peppers and remove the stem (not the top of the pepper, just some of the stem).
• Make a slit at the bottom of each pepper.
• Pack a 1/2 gallon jar with the peppers, leaving 2 inches of headspace.
• Add the garlic clove on top of the peppers and add additional seasonings if you like (see notes below).
• Add 1 cup of vinegar to the jar (you can add anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup depending on how much you like the taste of vinegar).
• Boil water. Fill a cup with boiling water, add a teaspoon of salt, mix until the salt dissolves and add the solution to the jar. Keep adding cups of water and salt until the jar is full and the peppers are covered.
• Place a fermentation weight on top of the peppers and close the jar. Turn it a couple of times to get the vinegar mixed with the brine.
• Place it at room temperature to ferment for 5 to 7 days. Make sure to burp the jar every day by unscrewing the lid and screwing it back on. The peppers will change their color and the liquid will become foggy and then clear again. The peppers are ready once the liquid clears.
• You can enjoy the peppers right away or you can store the jar in a cool place (like a root cellar or a fridge) for a few months.

PICKLED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Combine water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Add red bell peppers to the boiling water mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until peppers are softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer red bell peppers and liquid to jars, cover with lids, and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.