Recipe: Pickled Peppers (Escabeche, with jalapenos, garlic, onion and carrots)

PICKLED PEPPERS (ESCABECHE)
"This blend of pickled chile peppers, carrots, and onions with seasonings is a favorite condiment. You can use the pickling liquid as a pepper sauce."


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, thickly sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
8 cups water
15 jalapeno chiles (about 1 pound)
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2-nch thick (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
Pickling salt
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
4 bay leaves
White vinegar

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic. Continue cooking until the onions are soft, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the jalapenos and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, or until slightly softened.

Add the cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon pickling salt, oregano, and bay leaves and simmer for another minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Transfer the jalapenos, carrots, and onions with a slotted spoon or tongs into sterilized glass quart-size jars (you may need several).

When the cooking liquid has cooled, cover the vegetables with liquid until the jars are three-quarters full. Add 1 tablespoon pickling salt to each jar and fill to the top with white vinegar. Cap each jar tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to several months.

Makes about 2 quarts or 1 1/2 pounds (drained)
Source: The Hot Sauce Cookbook by Robb Walsh