Pickled chillies

I’ve grown chillies for years, not only because I love them but also because they are one of those ingredients that are so damn expensive to buy, but oh so easy to grow! I use them fresh throughout the Autumn months, I freeze both green and red ones whole, to use throughout the year and I pickle a bunch, to add flavour and heat to dishes such as nachos, tacos, stews and sandwiches.

I thought I’d share this recipe from my cookbook A Year in My Real Food Kitchen this week, as our chilli plants are absolutely laden and I have a feeling that if you too live in the Southern Hemisphere and grow chillies, you might be looking for a few things to do with them right about now 🙂 If you haven’t already tried out my Fermented Homemade Sriracha Sauce, make sure you check that one out too.

While we’re on the subject of my second cookbook, if you’re yet to buy a copy but have had it on your wishlist for, um, 5 years… just a little heads-up that it’s nearly out of print. So run, don’t walk and get yourself a copy quick! My first cookbook recently went out of print too, so if you see the last copies for sale and are yet to get that one too, again, get in quick before they’re gone for good.

I grow jalapeno specifically for pickling, which I pick green, but as you can see in these photos I took for an article in Nourish Magazine, you can pickle chillies of all shapes, sizes and heat levels!

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Pickled Chillies

I grow chillies every summer, mostly just so I can pickle them. They are the perfect thing to add to tacos, bean chilli, tagines and also pesto’s and dressings. Basically anywhere where a little sourness and heat is desired. This recipe is from my cookbook A Year in My Real Food Kitchen (Harper Collins 2016).

Ingredients

• 250 g (approx. 10-12) whole chillies
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) water
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 cloves garlic peeled

Instructions

• Prick each chilli about 5-8 times with a sharp knife and pack into a sterilised 1 litre glass jar (see NOTE below).
• Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour hot liquid over chillies, screw on the lid and cool. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 1 week before using.
• They’ll keep in the pantry unopened for up to a year, once open store in the fridge for up to 4-6 months.

Notes

Once the liquid has cooled in the jar, the lid should pop down. If it hasn’t, store in the fridge and use within 4-6 months.

To sterilise jars, wash in hot soapy water, rinse and place into a preheated 120C (250F) oven for 20 minutes.

This recipe is from my cookbook A Year in My Real Food Kitchen (Harper Collins 2016).