Photo by Lara Ferroni
This recipe is good with a number of different kinds of peppers, but for us, green jalapeños top the list. These stuffed peppers just feel like they belong aside a taco.
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium carrots, julienned
- 6-8 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 tablespoons crumbled dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed, freshly ground
- 2 pounds medium-sized hot peppers (red or green jalapeños, Fresnos, Hungarian wax, or round peppers like cherry bomb)
- 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
- 1-2 quarts brine (2 quarts unchlorinated water with 4 tablespoons salt)
Yield: About 1 1/2 quarts
Steps
- Combine the carrots in a bowl with the garlic, oregano, and cumin.
- Use a jalapeño corer to remove the stems and seeds from the peppers. Stuff the whole peppers with the carrot mixture. Combine the coriander and mustard seeds in the bottom of a jar, and pack the peppers tightly in, wedging them under the shoulder so they’ll stay submerged in the brine.
- Pour in enough brine to cover the peppers completely. If the peppers float up above the brine, use a grape leaf or other weight to keep them submerged. Screw down the lid tightly. (Leftover brine will keep in the fridge for 1 week; discard thereafter and make a new batch, if needed.)
- Place the jar on a plate and set aside to ferment for 7 to 14 days. Burp the jar as needed to allow any built-up carbon dioxide to escape, and make sure the vegetables stay under the brine. If needed, top off with reserved brine solution to keep the vegetables covered.
- You will start to see changes in about 5 days. As the peppers ferment, the brine will get cloudy; this is when you can start to taste-test your pickles. If they’re not sour enough, allow to ferment longer while continuing to monitor the brine level.
- When they’re ready, transfer the pickles to the refrigerator; they will keep for 6 to 10 months.
The authors of the best-selling Fermented Vegetables © are back, and this time they’ve brought the heat with them. Whet your appetite with more than 60 recipes for hot sauces, mustards, pickles, chutneys, relishes, and kimchis from around the globe. Chiles take the spotlight, with recipes such as Thai Dragon Mint-Cilantro Paste, but other traditional spices like horseradish, ginger, and peppercorns also make cameo appearances. Dozens of additional recipes for breakfast foods, snacks, entrées, and beverages highlight the many uses for hot ferments.
Excerpted from Fiery Ferments © by Kirsten K. Shockey and Christopher Shockey with photos © by Lara Ferroni. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
Kirsten K. Shockey and Christopher Shockey regularly appear at Mother Earth News Fairs, which feature money-saving hacks, health-boosting remedies, and environmental strategies from leading experts and entrepreneurs around the country.