A Peck of Pickled Peppers
I enjoy a pickle. Actually, pickles evoke great food memories for me. The salty crunch of a dill pickle reminds me of lunches with my dad at the Village Book Shop in Rye, NY when I was a surly teenage employee. A big sour kosher pickle takes me to a Saratoga Springs deli with my niece, Shelby. Bread and butter pickles always remind me of my husband, Bill’s, weekend sandwiches. The recipe I’m sharing today for pickled jalapeños and carrots brings back many hours of laughter and fun in Oak Park, IL at the former Lalo’s Mexican Restaurant with the Bracco and Smart families.
I love to make these pickles and serve them with a mexican meal, as a condiment on my favorite sandwich or with tortilla chips when I need an easy, delicious appetizer.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do and please leave a comment about your favorite food memories.
Pickled Carrots and Jalapeños
Ingredients
- 3 large jalapenos use more or less to adjust the spice level
- 2 cups carrots peeled and sliced into 1/2 " pieces
- 1.5 cups distilled white vinegar See note below for gluten intolerant readers
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 small red onion sub a white onion if you don't have red
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp thyme dried
- 1/2 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp whole peppercorns omit if you don't have peppercorns
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Cut the jalapeños in half
- Remove the seeds and slice lengthwise into strips
- Peel and slice carrots into 1/2" pieces
- Peel and slice the onion
- Peel and slice the garlic cloves
- Bring the vinegar, sugar, herbs and peppercorns to a simmer and stir for a couple of minutes to dissolve the sugar
- Remove from heat, add the carrots, jalapeños, onion and garlic cover and let steep for an hour
- Let cool and store in airtight containers in the fridge. (I use 2 or 3 ball jars)
What are these “extra jalapeños” of which you speak? 🙂 Seriously, this looks like a fun accompaniment to many dishes. I’ll be trying it soon.