From: riacmt@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Carol Miller-Tutzauer)
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Subject: RECIPES: Preserving your bumper crop of chile peppers
Date: 29 Aug 92 12:59:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Last year, folks over on rec.gardens wanted me to post my recipes for things 
like hot pepper sauce, chile paste, etc etc.  Some of the stuff I can to enjoy 
all winter; other things require nothing more than storing away in your pantry
or refrigerator.  In any case, since someone recently requested info on 
canning and preserving chile peppers, I thought it might be a good time to 
re-post these recipes.

So, in anticipation of all those chile peppers you chile heads will
have on your hands once your crop of chile peppers starts producing,
here are some recipes for saving away the fiery fruits for enjoyment
long after the growing season is over.

Carol  <riacmt@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu>

===

Ground Hot Pepper Vinegar -- From: The Prudhomme Family Cookbook
=========================

Makes 2 pints.  Select firm peppers that are as fresh and unblemished
as possible.  Green and/or red ones work equally well.  Cayennes are
probably the least hot and the most flavorful, but you can substitute
Tabasco, jalapeno, bird's eye, or other fresh peppers, or any
combination.  Eldon grinds or minces his peppers, but if you prefer you
can chop them.  (Allie, for example, coarsely chopes hers.)

Ground Hot Pepper Vinegar is used as a condiment -- for example, with
gumbos, jambalayas, and dried-bean dishes -- but it's also wonderful
cooked into sauces and other foods, used as a marinade, and added to
salad dressing [definitely -- CMT].  Experiment with it!

1 1/4 lbs cayenne or other hop peppers, washed thoroughly, trimmed of stems,
   but not seeded
2 1/2 cups white distilled vinegar [Note:  For safety reasons, be sure to
   use undiluted vinegar, be sure to use WHITE distilled vinegar, and do
   not decrease the amount of vinegar.]
1 Tablespoon salt [Personally, I reduce this in half, as folks from Louisiana
   tend to eat their food saltier than I do these days. -- CMT]

Assemble all utensils before starting.  You will need a water-bath canner with
a rack and lid or a very deep pot with rack and lid.  It must be deep enough
to cover the upright jars (sitting on the rack) with 1 to 2 inches of water
and still allow space for brisk boiling once the pan is covered.  And you'll
need 2 freshly scrubbed pint-size canning jars, metal rings, brand-new self-
sealinglids, and a few clean dish towels.  Fill the canner or pot with water
and bring to a near boil (this takes quite a bit of time!) before beginning to
fill the jars.  Have extra boiling water ready in case yo need to add more
water to the canner once the jars are in it.

Submerge the clean jars (you will need two pint jars for the amount made in a
single recipe given here) in water and sterilize by boiling as directed by the
manufacturer, but for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes.  Leave jars in the hot
water until ready to fill.  Wash and boil lids and rings according to
manufacturer's directions.

Trim any bruises, decay, or other imperfections from the peppers.  Process the
peppers in a food processor a few seconds until minced.  Set aside.

Bring the vinegar to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over high heat.  [NOTE:  I
DO NOT recommend bringing the vinegar to a boil.  Most of my canning books
warn against such a practice since this reduces the anti-bacterial
effectiveness of the vinegar.  Instead, bring the vinegar to JUST BELOW a
boil.  -- CMT]  Meanwhile, spoon half the minced peppers into each of the very
hot jars up to no higher than 1 1/2 inches from the rims, without packing
peppers down tightly.  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to each jar [I use a scant 1
teaspoon myself -- CMT], then pour the boiling vinegar over the peppers,
leaving headspace of 1/2 inch from the rim; if not, add more.  Then promptly
wipe rims well with a clean, damp cloth and place hot lids on top with sealing
compound (i.e. rubber edges) down; screw on metal rings firmly but not too
tightly.
Immediately place filled jars upright on a rack in the water=bath canner, or
deep pot, filled with hot but not boiling water.  Arrange jars so they don't
touch each other or sides of pot.  If necessary, add boiling water around but
not on jars to cover jar tops by 1 to 2 inches.  cover pan and bring water to
a rolling boil over high heat.  Then boil 10 minutes for pints (correct this
for high-altitudes if you live at 1,000-ft or higher altitude).  Immediately
remove jars with canning tongs and place upright and at least 2 inches apart
on a wooden surface or on folded dish towels to cool at room temperature, away
from drafts.  Do not cover.

Once jars are completely cooled, test for an airtight seal by pressing down
center of each lid.  Lid should stay down.  Label and date jars, then store
upright in a cool, dark, and dry room or pantry.

Store at least 48 hours, preferably 2 weeks, before using.  Refrigerate after
opening.


Jackie's Trinidad Hot Sauce -- From: Sugar Reef Caribbean Cooking
===========================

Makes 2 pints.

1 green papaya, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
10 Scotch bonnet (or habanero) peppers, seeded
2 onions, quartered
3 cloves garlic
Grated rind of 1 lime
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cups malt vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard [any cheap yellow mustard is best]

Puree the papaya, Scotch bonnet peppers, onions, garlic, lime rind, and lime
juice in a food processor.  Transfer to a medium saucepan and stir in the
vinegar, salt, and mustard.  Simmer the mixture over low heat for 20 minutes,
stirring occasionally.  Bottle the sauce in hot sterilized jars.  [Note:  I
pressure can this in 1-pint containers at 15 lbs pressure for 15 minutes.
Since the vinegar is simmered for so long, you can't safely assume that just
bottling and processing in a water bath will be sufficient. -- CMT]


Pickled Hot Peppers (or Bell Peppers) -- From:  Putting Food By, originally
=====================================    from U. of Calif. publication #4080

Makes 8 pints.

4 quarts peppers
4 cups vinegar  [Use either distilled white vinegar, or if desired
   malt vinegar]
4 cups water
4 teaspoons salt
Olive oil (optional) [I omit this, personally.  -- CMT]

Wash peppers thoroughly.  [Here, my own instructions start as I follow a
different procedure than that outlined in the recipe. -- CMT]  I use whole
peppers if they are small (Thai hot peppers, sanatakas, jalapenos, though
jalapenos can also be cut into "coins").  If peppers are large (Portuguese,
Anaheims, New Mexico, Anchos, etc.), leave whole if you like but take a knife
and make long slits (approximately 3 per pepper) down the length of the pepper
to allow the vinegar to seep into the fruits.  For round cherry peppers, I
stem the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise.  [Begin original recipe
again. -- CMT]

Mix vinegar and water; heat to 150-160 deg F (66-71 deg C) about to the
simmering point.  Since it is rather volatile, vinegar should NOT boil a long
time.  Pack peppers rather tightlyinto jars.  Pour hot vinegar and water over
the peppers to 1/2 inch of jar rim.  If oil is desired, add vinegar to only
3/4 inch of jar top.  Add olive oil to come 1/2 inch from top.  The peppers
will be coated with oil when they pass through the oil layer as you use them.
Add salt to taste, seal, and process 15 minutes in simmering (180-185 deg F or
82-85 deg C) Hot-Water Bath.

Variation/Addition:  I sometimes like to add a whole unpeeled clove of garlic
first into the jars along with a few each of white and black whole
peppercorns.  This is especially nice if you plan on giving the canned peppers
as gifts.

Note:  You must pack the whole peppers pretty tightly (especially those little
peppers) to keep them from floating to the top of the jar once the vinegar
mixture is added.


Louisiana Tabasco Sauce -- From:  Chile Pepper magazine, May/June 1990
=======================

Makes 2 cups.  You can use chiles other than Tabasco for a different-tasting
sauce.

Note:  The recipe for true Tabasco brand hot sauce is a long-guarded secret.
In addition, the Tabasco folks make a hot pepper "mash" and let this ferment
long before the peppers are used in their secret recipe.  This process is what
gives Tabasco brand pepper sauce its unique flavor.  This recipe does not
attempt to replicate that sauce.  Instead, this is a standard Louisiana hot
sauce recipe.  If desired, you can add some garlic powder and/or onion powder
to flavor the sauce somewhat.  Ground white pepper added is also a nice touch.

1 lb Tabasco chiles, chopped  [or other hot pepper variety]
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

Combine the chiles and the vinegar and heat.  Stir in the salt and simmer for
5 minutes.  Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
Add more vinegar if the sauce needs thinning.  Allow to steep for a couple of
weeks before using.

[Note:  Store in a dark place, or in light-resistent bottles as the sauce will
discolor otherwise.  Dark beer bottles work well, in fact.  My husband home-
brews beer and even has a bottle capper, so we sterilize the dark beer bottles
and cap them with caps he buys through his homebrew supplier.  The bottles can
be processed in a boiling-water bath for extra safety and for longer storage.]


Homemade Hot Chile Paste (or simple Sambal Oelek) -- My own recipe (Carol
=================================================    Miller-Tutzauer)

Ripe red chiles, stems removed but do not deseed (ripe, red jalapenos work
   well; for a super hot paste, use a hotter variety pepper, like sanatakas,
   tabascos, or thai peppers)
Fresly squeezed lime juice
Salt (non-iodized)
Water
1/2-pt jelly/canning jars and canning lids & rings

Puree chiles in a food processor.  Pour "pepper mash" into a saucepan along
with enough water to form a medium-thin consistency.  Simmer the chile mixture
for about 5 minutes, or until the chile paste thickens somewhat and chiles are
slightly cooked.

Spoon chile mixture into the small jelly/canning jars, leaving 3/4 inch
headspace.  Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp lime juice to each jar.  Cap and
process in a pressure canner for 10 minutes at 15 lbs pressure.

Note:  You can also make a "green chile paste" by using green chiles, though
the color will not be as strikingly green as the fresh peppers.  Process in
the same manner as for the hot chile peppers.  WARNING:  Do not can this stuff
in anything but those very small jelly-jar-size canning jars.  The paste is
too thick for proper processing in larger containers.  Refrigerate any unused
portion after opening.  (And, of course, store unopened canned jars in a dry,
cool, dark place.)


Homemade Hot Pepper Powder -- My own recipe (Carol Miller-Tutzauer)
==========================

Take long hot red chile peppers (I use cayennes or Portuguese hots) and place
them in the oven on a pizza stone (or clay tiles) at 150 deg F. and leave
overnight.  The next morning, check to see that they are dried and only
slightly pliable.  If not completely dried, leave in the oven until they are.

Remove the stems from the dried hot red peppers and process in a spice
grinder.  (We have a Braun coffee grinder that we use as a spice grinder
instead of for coffee.  Never use the same grinder for coffee and spices as
spices ground in a grinder used for coffee will taste too much like coffee.)
When ground to a fine powder, pour into a jar and store away with the rest of
your spices.

Note:  Drying the peppers in the oven gives them a slightly more "roasted
flavor."  You can also sun dry your hot peppers (in "ristras", if desired),
but my experience is that, unless you are drying small hot peppers, this is
only possible in southern states with low humidity.  A food dehydrater may
work, but I've never tried that.  Some people have also suggested laying out
the food to be dried inside your car, parked in the hot sun, with the windows
all rolled up.  I've never tried that either.  I just put them in the oven
overnight at the lowest temperature my oven will maintain safely (i.e.,
without blowing out -- I have a gas oven).


Hot Chile Olive Oil -- My own recipe (Carol Miller-Tutzauer)
===================

Dry small hot red peppers (thai, sanataka, bird peppers) in a cool dry place
in your house or covered by a screen outdoors (so the birds don't run off with
them ;-).  Stuff a thin-necked clear bottle about 1/2 full with the dried
chile peppers.  Drop in about 8-10 whole black peppercorns as well.  Fill the
bottles to within 1/2 inch of the top with a very high quality extra-virgin
olive oil.  Store away in a dark place for a minimum of 2 months.

Use as you would olive oil -- for salad dressings or sauteeing -- but get some
added "zip" to your food.  If sauteeing, let a chile or two fall into the pan
and heat along with the oil before sauteeing.

===

Here's some recipes that I've also collected, some of them more recently, but
haven't tried yet:


Ann's Bermudian Spiced Sherry Pepper -- From: Ann Swan of Westchester, PA, as
====================================    reported in National Gardening
                                        magazine, Nov/Dec 1991

Note:  To make Spiced Rum Pepper, just substitute a good, dark, Caribbean rum
for the sherry.

Tall, slender-necked sauce bottles, preferably clear (for visual appeal)
Red, ripe, small, thin-skinned hot peppers such as Bird, Tabasco, Thai,
   Sanataka, or Ethel Jane varieties
Dry sherry (or dark rum)

Stuff the tall, slender bottles one-third full of the red-ripe pepper fruits.
Then fill the bottles the rest of the way with sherry (or rum).  Cap them and
leave them sit in the dark for at least a month before use.


Bottled Hell -- From:  Chile Pepper magazine, May/June 1991
============

2 cups fresh or dried Datil peppers, stems removed, chopped
3 cups white vinegar
2 large (32-oz size) bottles catsup

Put the peppers and 1/2 cup of vinegar into blender or food processor.  Blend
for 5 minutes or until smooth.  Put the mixture into a large saucepan; add the
remaining 2 and 1/2 cups of vinegar and both bottles of catsup.  Bring to a
boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  cool slightly and pour into clean glass
bottles or jars.  Cap securely.  Let "age" in refrigerator for 1 week.


Chiltepin House Sauce (Salsa Casera) -- From:  Chile Pepper magazine, May/June
====================================    1991

Note:  Also called Chiltepin paste.  Chiltepins are those exceedingly hot and
tiny little peppers that look like small red berries.  Makes 2 cups.

2 cups Chiltepins
8 to 10 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree on high speed for 3 to 4
minutes.  Refrigerate for one day to blend the flavors.  It keeps indefinitely
in the refrigerator.


New Mexico Red Chile Sauce -- From: Chile Pepper magazine, Sept/Oct 1991
==========================

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups.  Be sure to double or triple the recipe if you are
planning on canning the sauce.

10 to 12 dried red New Mexican [or dried Anaheim] chiles, stems and seeds
   removed
3 cups water
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopeed
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Rince off the chiles and place them in a pot with the water.  Bring to a boil,
reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft.

Place all the ingredients, including the chile water, in a blender and puree
until smooth.  Strain the mixture for a smooth sauce [personally, I don't
bother -- CMT].

[To can:  Fill sterilized 1-pint jars, cap, and process in a pressure canner
at 15 lbs pressure for 15 minutes.  -- CMT]


New Mexico Green Chile Sauce -- From:  Chile Pepper magazine, Sept/Oct 1991
============================

Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups.  Be sure to double or triple recipe if planning on
canning the sauce.
1 cup chopped green New Mexico [or Anaheim] chile, roasted, peeled, stems
   removed
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (lard is traditional)
1 Tablespoon flour
1 small tomato, peeled and chopped [or substitute green tomatillos, if
   desired]
1 cup chicken broth or water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin [Note:  If canning this sauce, you should add a
   pinch of fresh cumin at the time you use the sauce, since the cumin tends
   to lose it's "punch" when canned.]

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft.

Stir in the flour and blend well.  Simmer for a douple of minutes to cook the
flour.

Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer
until the sauce has thickened.

[To can:  Fill sterilized 1-pint jars, cap, and process in a pressure canner
at 15 lbs pressure for 15 minutes.  -- CMT]


Chile Pickle (Molagai Ooruga) -- From:  Chile Pepper magazine, March/April
=============================    1991

This pickle is often eaten with unleavened bread; it serves as a relish.  It
also makes a delightful companion to white rice mixed with a generous amount
of yogurt.  The yogurt, rice, and green chile pickle often make a perfect
summer picnic dish.  In Madras, we use long green chiles.  This preserve goes
well with nachos too.  You can add it to any salad.  Serrano chiles are good
substitutes.

12 green New Mexican chiles [personally, I think hotter, thinner, green
   peppers would work better and be more authentic -- CMT]
3 lemons, cut into halves [limes would be a good substitute -- CMT]
2 Tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons salt
1/2 cup water

Combine all the ingredients in a clean, dry glass jar, seal tightly and store
in a cool dark area for three to four days, shaking it once a day.

Transfer the ingredients to the refrigerator.  Take out the preserve 10
minutes before you want to use it.
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