Dear taste buds,
We need to talk. It’s an uncomfortable topic for all of us, and I’m not entirely sure how to raise it. But you and me, we can talk about anything, right? So I’m just going to come out and say it:
Spicy foods.
I think you know where I’m going with this.
I wouldn't even mention it if you weren't such absolute champs. Bitter things, sour things, oddly textured things – you embrace them, one and all. You do not complain. You let me suck lemons and chew on boiled kale! You let me slurp bone marrow, you wonderful creatures, you! Then along comes some heat and you’re through. All I want to know is why.
Maybe it was that time at Chi-Chi’s back in 1987 when I accidentally flicked a speck of hot sauce into my eye. Remember? Dad scooped me up from the booth and jostled me over to the bar, filled a shot glass with water, pressed its rim against my eye socket, and dipped my head all the way back into the crook of his arm. That was traumatic. But taste buds, you have no eyeballs. You’re safe.
Or maybe it was the tamale that took me by surprise at a family reunion in St. Louis, the single fiery mouthful and the well-meaning cousin who told me to drool into my napkin for relief. It was not our finest hour.
You and me and spicy, we've had a tough run. But you know what? I think we can do better. I know we can. Now, rest assured: I’ll never shove an entire wad of wasabi into my mouth, or chomp pepperoncini from their stems in a single bite, or some other stunt like that. You are not my circus monkeys. It’s just that I fear we’re missing out. Spicy’s kind of a thing right now. All the cool kids are doing it which, I know, is never a respectable reason to do anything, but in this case the cool kids are the smart kids. Smart kids who cook! And they’re making some really good food. Pizza with Padróns, Sriracha on everything. I want in. I think we should try. I've made something to help us along.
Pickled peppers, the jalapeño and hot wax kind. You know, the ones that come in our farm share every year and pile up in the crisper drawer until one day we man up and slice into one, consume a brave quarter of an inch, and then stand helplessly by, fanning ourselves and recovering for the next week while the rest of it turns to mush. Those. Pickled, these peppers keep a long, long time. No rush to sweat our way through them; no risk of waste. And sliced into rings they’re far less daunting. We can fish them out one at a time. We can call one ring a “serving.” We can take things nice and slow.
Taste buds, are you with me?
xoxo,
Jess
Pickled Peppers (Jalapeño and Hot Wax)
Adapted from Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan
I told you a bit about Marisa and her lovely book earlier this month and now I bring you a recipe from it. These pickled peppers are a “blank slate” (as Marisa puts it) by design. There are no herbs or spices here – just the simplest brine and the peppers – which makes them wonderfully versatile. So far, I've tucked them into grilled cheese sandwiches and chopped and scattered them over all kinds of things: scrambled eggs, lentils and rice, baked fish, tortilla chips with melted cheese. Marisa suggests slicing the peppers in half lengthwise and canning them just like that. I sliced them into ¼-inch rings. You don’t want to go much thinner than that or your pickles might lose their crunch.
A note about the boiling water bath: To keep your pickles crisp, you boil the filled jars for only five minutes. So, to make sure your jars are sterile, Marisa has you boil the empty jars for at least ten minutes, and remove the jars from the water bath right before you’re ready to fill them.
If you’d like to pickle peppers but you’d prefer not to can, these work as refrigerator pickles, too. Just fill your jars with peppers and brine and keep in the fridge.
About pickling salt: If you’re having trouble finding it at supermarkets in your area, try the hardware store. That’s where I found mine, in the aisle with canning supplies. Or, you can buy it on Amazon.
Here’s Marisa on substituting other kinds of salt for pickling salt.
2 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity, which most commercial vinegars are)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons pickling salt
1 pound hot peppers, like jalapeño, or hot wax, or cherry, sliced into ¼-inch thick rings
Remove the rings and lids from your jars and set them aside. Place a cooling rack, or silicone trivet, or whatever you’re using to shield the jars from the heat, in the bottom of a big pot, and put your jars on top. Fill the pot with water to cover the jars, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, put the lids in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring them to a simmer over very low heat to soften the sealing wax. No need to heat the rings.
Bring the pot of jars to a boil and let it bubble away for at least 10 minutes (see note, above).
Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, water, and salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
When the jars are ready, remove them from the pot and set them right side up on a clean towel on the counter, pack them with peppers, and fill with the hot brine, leaving ½-inch of headspace. Gently tap the jars against the counter, then stir with a wooden chopstick or Popsicle stick to loosen any air bubbles. Check the headspace, and add more brine if necessary.
Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and return to the hot water bath. Bring to a boil, and process for five minutes. Then, remove the jars, set them on the counter, and listen for the ping of the lids sealing.
Let cure for at least a week before opening, and store opened jars in the refrigerator.
Yield: 12 4-ounce jars.