If you want some HOT jalapenos, I am the one to be assigned the job. It seems that whenever I choose fresh jalapenos at the store, I somehow manage to find the hottest ones in the bin. For a time, I stopped buying fresh ones.
Hubby is a lover of jalapenos -- really, all things hot and spicy. So I try to keep some on hand for him, though it is usually a jar of the things.
It appeared that he had a fellow spicy-lover in the house in Rugrat. She saw him with some jalapenos (from a jar) on his pizza some time ago and asked to taste it.
He gave her a little bit just to let her try them (assuming we would get a comical face from it) and was astounded when she not only chewed it up and swallowed, but also asked for more. She also seems to be a fan of the jalapeno chip dip I picked up on sale for him recently and probably ate as much as he did. Every time she has seen him with either, she immediately runs over wanting some. Definitely a fan!
I was at ALDI's a few weeks ago and I noticed they had packages of 6 fresh jalapenos for 49 cents. So I grabbed one for Hubby since the jar he had been working on just ran out. When I made pizza later that week, I sliced one up to add to his half of the pizza.
Hubby was sitting down with his plate when Rugrat saw those green rings on his pizza and asked for one. He handed one over, happy to have another spicy-lover in the house, but without thinking about the fact that he had not yet tasted them.
Have you caught on to where I'm going yet? Oh, yeah. They were so incredibly hot that he had to remove them from his pizza -- something I can't ever remember him doing in all the time I've known him.
Poor Rugrat ended up in tears. I convinced her to eat some bread and keep drinking until she said it didn't hurt anymore. Hubby got his due as well -- choking on them some and chasing his madly running nose.
I didn't escape unharmed either. I hadn't used any gloves when slicing the blasted thing. So the back of my hand, particularly under my ring, burned all evening from the oil from the jalapeno no matter what I did to relieve it. I even tried cleaning my hand with some Dawn dish liquid since it is known for removing oil/grease. Nothing worked.
By the way, I have since learned that milk is about the best thing you can use to ease the burn. If I had known, I probably would have plunged my hand into the jug.
We all learned a respectful fear. But now I had 5 more incredibly hot jalapenos to deal with. Uh, oh.
This recipe to the rescue. Now I can make my own jars of jalapenos. And Hubby has assured me that they are almost perfect and very yummy. I guess the pickling takes care of some of the heat. Much better.
He even enjoyed them on his pizza last week and didn't have to remove a single one.
Rugrat still won't try them again. You know, once bitten... and all that. It will probably change eventually.
By the way, using disposable gloves when slicing them is SOOOOOO much better too. Highly recommend it!
Quick Pickled Jalapeno Rings
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
10 large jalapenos, sliced into rings
(Several people mentioned adding other things as well that they liked... like sliced onions, spices, red peppers, etc.)
Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic and oregano in a saucepan over high heat. Bring mixture to a boil then remove from heat.
Pack peppers into a jar/jars using tongs. Pour vinegar mixture over. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate.
No comments:
Post a Comment