Five Ways To Use Hot Peppers For Snacks

For those of you who can eat these peppers, here are five different variations you can serve at your next football or hockey gathering.

 

Recipe for pickling jalapeno peppers

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 14 cup water
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 8 oz. jalapeno peppers, sliced in half, lengthwise

Boil everything together except the peppers. Stuff the jars with peppers and ladle the vinegar into sterilized jars. Seal and let stand overnight before using. Can be refrigerated up to 1 month. Now go ahead with the recipes.

 

Jalapeno Stuffed Peppers

• 10 pickled Jalapeno peppers
• 2 slices bacon
• 3 tbsp. cream cheese
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint

Seed the peppers. Cook the bacon until crisp and then finely chop.

Stir in the cream cheese with the mint. Stuff the peppers with the mint mixture and top with the chopped bacon. Broil on a baking sheet for 1-3 minutes. Serve warm.

 

Pickled Chilies

• 7 oz. red chili peppers
• 2 shallots, cut in half
• 2 slices bacon
• 3 tbsp. cream cheese
• 2 tbsp. chopped, finely, cilantro

Seed the chilies, add the shallots  to the bacon and cook making sure not to burn the shallots. Remove from the heat and chop fine.

Mix together the cream cheese and cilantro well. Stuff the chilies with the cheese mixture, top with the bacon shallot mixture. Broil on a baking sheet for 1-2 minutes.

 

Pickled Pepper Caesar

• 2 cups Clamato juice, chilled
• 1/2 cup Vodka
• 1/4 cup pickled pepper brine
• Lemon rounds, thinly sliced
• saucer with celery salt for rimming glass
• 1 celery stalk each glass
• 1-2 pickled jalapeno peppers, each glass for garnish

Stir the Clamato juice with the vodka and brine along with the lemon rounds in a large  pitcher filled with ice cubes. Rim glasses with celery salt and pour the mixture into each glass. Garnish with a celery stalk and a pickled pepper.

 

Pickled Banana Pepper Caesar

• 8 oz. banana peppers, seeded
• 1 tbsp. pickling spice
• 1/4 cup pickling brine

Mix these together and use instead of the jalapeno peppers in the above recipe.

 

Pickled Scotch Bonnets

(be sure to warn your guests on this one)

• 5 oz. scotch bonnet peppers, seeded
• 4 bay leaves

Add these to a jar of scotch bonnets and use in either the Caesar drink or as the stuffed peppers, making sure to remove the jalapeno or banana peppers to continue with the recipes.

Note: Be sure to wear rubber gloves when working with the peppers and do not touch your eyes.