Hot Pickled Peppers

Hot Pickled Peppers

My garden produced a lot of peppers this year. I planted hot chili peppers, hot Portugal peppers and sweet banana peppers.

In an attempt to preserve them so I can enjoy them all year long, I thought I would try to pickle them. Soooo worth the effort.

The challenging part was to cut them and remove the seeds without burning my throat, eyes and fingers. I wore a mask, glasses and gloves. I stood over my stove using a cutting board as my work surface and with the exhaust fan on “high”. I later removed the glasses as they kept fogging up! But the mask and the exhaust fan worked fine.

For this recipe you will need:

220 grams of peppers - I used 6 hot Portugal peppers and 4 sweet banana peppers…..sliced and seeds removed

Place peppers in a large, glass canning jar with a wide mouth

In a pot I combined:

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

2 tbsps sugar

1 large garlic clove, peeled and flattened 

1 tsp salt

Stir and bring to a boil. Pour the boiled liquid into the jar with the peppers. Stir and let fully cool on counter. 

Once cooled, refrigerate. They will last a few weeks in the refrigerator.

Crunchy and deliciously hot!

Tomato and Basil Pasta - Dairy and Egg Free

 

Tomato and Basil Pasta - Dairy and Egg Free ( recipe for 2-3 people)

My vegetable garden is overflowing with Roma and Cherry tomatoes and this quick and easy recipe allows me to enjoy the fresh garden flavours.

Begin by boiling a pot of water for your pasta. I used about 200 grams of Bucatini pasta…about a handful. This should feed 3 people.

You will need:

200-250 grams of Bucatini or any type of pasta

3 cups of cherry tomatoes - I used small Roma tomatoes, chopped in half

2-3 tbsps EVOO

1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 tbsp minced onion

Fresh Basil - I used about 3 tbsps of small leaf Basil. If you have larger leaf basil, chop them.

Fresh Oregano - 3 tbsps - whole leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil water, salt ( about 3/4 tsp salt) then add pasta. 

In a large frying pan, heat up olive oil over medium heat. Add your garlic and onions. Stir for a few minutes and take care not to burn your garlic.

Add your fresh tomatoes. Cook over medium heat stirring. Salt and pepper to taste.

Stir and cook until tomatoes soften and begin to break down.

Stir in your basil and oregano.

At this point, your pasta should be cooked al dente.

Drop your pasta along with some pasta water into frying pan and stir.

I used about half a cup to 3/4 of a cup of pasta water. Continue to stir until water and tomato juices thicken.

Done!!

Serve topped with fresh basil and Romano or Parm cheese - or vegan cheese.

This is absolutely delicious!