Pickled Peppers

This time of year, I wait for the price of red bell peppers to drop and then grab plenty of them. Sure, they’re wonderful grilled and marinated with a little oil and vinegar. But there are a couple of other dishes that really demand to be done this time of year. I toss some of the peppers into freezer bags to use later, but the fresh ones earn the delicious fate of being pickled.

The peppers work well in sandwiches, as part of an antipasto platter, or in salads. They keep most of their crunch and all their colors, and last at least a month in the fridge.

The recipe is properly called peppers alla cingolani, and from the looks of the clipping, it’s from the Post-Dispatch. It’s a refrigerator pickle, which means no canning. (Hooray!) The peppers can be red, yellow, orange or green, but I tend to use red ones because they’re usually the easiest to find, after the green ones, which I’m not fond of. A mixture of colors is particularly pretty, and in a clear container, this dish is beautiful. My usual habit is to use white wine vinegar, because I have a big jug of it, and kosher salt, just because I prefer it for dishes that are going to stay around for a while. I’ve cut back on the rosemary; the original recipe asks for six sprigs, so use your judgement on that. We like garlic at our house, and being pickled helps it, too. I use a two-quart plastic pitcher with a cover to store them in. And I wash the peppers in soap and water, rinsing well, before cutting them up.

4 huge or 6 smallish red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut in fat strips

3 c. water

3 c. white vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/2 c.

granulated sugar

1 Tbs. mustard seeds

12 cloves garlic, peeled

1 Tbs. salt

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 bay leaves

1 whole hot chili pepper, cut in half lengthwise, optional

Pack the peppers into a clean plastic container. Bring water, vinegar and sugar to a boil. Add mustard seeds, garlic, salt, rosemary, bay leaves and chili pepper and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Slowly add warm liquid to peppers, being sure to cover peppers with liquid. Let cool completely; cover and refrigerate.

Peppers are ready to eat after a day, but improve with more time in the brine. Use as many as you need and return the rest to the refrigerator. Yields about 8 cups of peppers.

-Ann