Hi, I’m LAB and I’m addicted to chilli.

At first I thought I was just enjoying something different, it’s wasn’t every day and it made things a bit more fun. But then I noticed that I was sneaking it at inappropriate times, I’d get caught hiccupping when I walked out of the kitchen because I had tabasco straight up by the spoonful, or sliced jalapenos at breakfast. Plus it was becoming a financial burden, buying a jar of jalapenos a week was getting ridiculous.

So, knowing I couldn’t cut down my chilli consumption, I decided that at least I could pickle some jalapenos so it was a bit cheaper. These were really easy, tasty and cheap. I’ll definitely be making them again when I can find fresh jalapenos. I loved eating them straight, they actually weren’t too spicy, but they were really good in dips, salads and burritos because they are a bit crunchy, unlike the slightly mushy ones that you get pre-sliced in jars.

Pickled Jalapenos
Based on a David Lebovitz recipe, which is based on another recipe, which is surely based on generations of home pickled peppers

1/2 kg of fresh jalapenos (1 pound)
2½ cups of vinegar
2½ cups of water
2 ½tbs salt (3 non-Australian tablespoons)
2 ½tbs sugar (3 non-Australian tablespoons)
Bay leaves
Coriander seeds
Peppercorns

Rinse your jalapenos well and then take your anger out on them and stab each one three times. Then stuff them into clean jars, make sure their packed in really tightly.

Heat all the other ingredients in saucepan (non-reactive), simmering for 5 minutes before pouring it over the shiny green peppers. You can judge the quantity of spices yourself, I had a couple of tablespoons each of spices and 3 bay leaves, but you could equally not have the spices, just salt and sugar.

Put the lids on and then let them cool on the bench before refrigerating for a week while the jalapenos pickle.

Note: these pickles are not “canned” and therefore should be kept refrigerated and used within a few weeks, but they’re pretty tasty so getting through them shouldn’t be a problem.

Try them in dip, salsa or salad, they’re really good.