Well, finally, it is here….by popular demand…. tried and true the best hot pepper recipe out there! They go perfectly with homemade bread or any type of cracker. They also go very nicely on a white pizza or in a pizza roll. Whatever way you like them ! Watch out because they are addicting. I think my husband and I made 3 to 4 batches this year because we had oodles of hot peppers.
HOT PEPPERS
1/2 Bushel of hot pepper (we like a variety of banana and jalapeño)
4 CUPS Plus of Distilled White Vinegar
48 ounces Plus of Canola Oil (One whole bottle)
16 Whole Garlic Cloves
1 CUP Canning Salt (NON IODIZED)
Fresh Oregano, about 8 sprigs
Caution: Wear gloves!!!!!! Especially if you wear contacts (we learned the hard way….ouch!).
Directions:
1. Cut and core peppers to remove the seeds. You can use handy dandy Chile Twister (pepper seeder) for this which will save you a great deal of time.
You can then place your peppers in a food processor to chop into rings.
Place pepper rings in colander over night sprinkled heavily with canning salt (salt them every time you empty the food processor full of pepper rings into the colander). Let the peppers set in a colander overnight (16 to 24 hours is optimal). The peppers will reduce in size significantly. Not to mention the hot pepper smell will permeate throughout you entire home (you know, clean out your sinuses!).
2. After you have let the peppers set over night rinse with water to remove the salt and let them drain thoroughly.
3. In a quart size jar, place 2 cloves of garlic in the jar along with one sprig of oregano, you can put the whole sprig in, or you can tear the leaves off and put them in the jar. Pack the jars full of peppers from the colander, make sure you pack it tight! Put 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar into the jars and fill to the brim with canola oil. Pour it slow, the jars will be so packed with peppers that it will take a few seconds to make it to the bottom of the jar. Be sure to leave about a 1/2″ gap between the liquid and the top of the jar.
4. Freeze the jars immediately for fresh, crisp pepper rings right out of your freezer. You can also “can” them, however, the texture and quality of the pepper tends to be compromised. Think if it this way, it is like eating fresh versus canned green beans!
Enjoy!!!!
