Pickled Jalapeños (with Carrots and Onions Too!)

Method8 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Rinse the jalapeños, remove stems, halve and scoop out seeds. Rinse the carrots (3 lb), trim and peel them, then slice diagonally about ¼ inch thick. Peel the pearl onions. Toss all three vegetables with the measured salt (4 tablespoons) in a large bowl and let stand for about 1 hour. Keep all the liquid that collects. Have the garlic cloves peeled before heating the oil.

   Salt the pickle vegetables · 60 minUses 3 lb jalapeño chiles, rinsed, stemmed, halved and seeded · 3 lb carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally about ¼ inch thick · 1 lb white pearl onions, peeled · 4 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt · Water for rinsing jalapeños and carrots, as needed; drained

2. 2

   Step 2: Blend the white distilled vinegar (2 cups), the measured cup of water (1 cup), peppercorns, both bay leaves (2), dried thyme (2 teaspoons), oregano, all six cloves, cumin seeds (1 teaspoon) and brown sugar (1 teaspoon) until smooth.

   Uses 2 cups white distilled vinegar · 1 cup water for the pickling mixture · 1 teaspoon black peppercorns · 2 bay leaves for the blended pickling mixture · 2 teaspoons dried thyme · 1 tablespoon dried oregano · 6 whole cloves · 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3. 3

   Step 3: In a very large, deep, heavy pan, heat the safflower oil (1 cup) over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, until hot but not smoking.

   Uses 1 cup safflower oil

4. 4

   Step 4: Lift the salted vegetables from their bowl, leaving their juices behind and reserving them. Carefully add the drained vegetables to the hot oil and fry for 6–8 minutes, checking from 6 minutes and stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.

   Fry the salted pickle vegetables · 6 minUses All the hot oil in the pan · All the salted vegetables lifted from their released juices

5. 5

   Step 5: Add all the prepared 15–20 garlic cloves and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring.

   Cook the garlic with pickle vegetables · 2 minUses All the vegetables and oil in the pan · All 15–20 peeled garlic cloves

6. 6

   Step 6: Carefully stir in all the reserved vegetable juices, all the blended white-vinegar mixture and all the unseasoned rice vinegar (2 cups). Cook together for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

   Cook the spiced pickle mixture · 5 minUses All the pan contents · All the liquid released by the same salted vegetables · All the prepared spiced vinegar · 2 cups unseasoned rice vinegar

7. 7

   Step 7: Let the mixture cool briefly, then transfer to clean lidded containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep refrigerated and let the vegetables pickle for at least 1 day before eating.

   Refrigerate pickles for flavour · 1440 minUses All the cooked vegetables and pickling liquid

8. 8

   Step 8: Serve the chilled pickled vegetables as a condiment, keeping the unused batch refrigerated. The batch makes approximately 15 cups. Freeze extra portions if you need longer storage.

   Uses A selected portion of pickled vegetables and liquid · The unused pickles retained in their containers