Crisp Refrigerator Pickled Peppers (Quick Recipe)

Step-by-step recipe

1. At home, crisp pickled peppers are easiest to make in a glass jar with a screw-top lid. We pickle hot varieties: chilies, jalapenos, whatever is available in season, preferably not too large. For looks, we add a few small, brightly colored sweet peppers. The brine is made from natural white wine vinegar with some water added. If you buy a spiced vinegar, you can use that alone. The brine also takes a fair amount of whole spices and salt.
   
2. For aroma and flavor, peeled ginger cut into thin strips goes into the brine. A piece weighing 30-40 g is enough for a one-liter jar. The jar also needs 3-4 bay leaves. Add a scant teaspoon each of white mustard seeds, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. Drop in 3-4 cloves and 5-6 allspice berries.
   
3. Wash and dry all the peppers you have chosen. Very small peppers can be pickled whole. In that case, though, you must pierce each one right through with the tip of a knife so the brine can get inside. Larger peppers should be sliced crosswise or on the diagonal, 10-15 mm wide. Leave the seeds in, they won't get in the way. If you are using several varieties, mix them together after slicing.
   
4. Wash the jar and lid well and, ideally, sterilize them: just fill them with boiling water for 4-5 mins, then pour the water out. Peel the garlic and ginger. Cut the ginger into thin strips and halve each garlic clove. Mix the sliced peppers with the garlic and ginger. Transfer everything to the prepared jar, tucking in the bay leaves as you go. By the way, the sliced peppers can be packed snugly, but don't press them down. At the very end, pour the whole spices over the peppers and tap the jar lightly to spread them throughout.
   
5. Pour two full cups of white wine vinegar into a small saucepan. Red vinegar stains the peppers, and I don't like that. Whether regular or apple cider vinegar would work, I can't say, I have never tried. Add 2 tsp of salt to the vinegar and set the saucepan over the heat. As soon as the vinegar comes to a boil, stir so the salt dissolves. Then pour it all into the jar with the peppers. That won't be enough to fill every gap, so simply top the jar up to the rim with boiling water from the kettle. Or, which is also fine, bring some more vinegar to a boil and pour that in.
   
6. Seal the jar with the lid right away. Gently rock the closed jar from side to side so the brine and spices spread evenly throughout. Let the jar cool to room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator. By the way, you can start tasting from this point on. Or wait until the next day, and after a week you can eat the pickled peppers at every opportunity.
   
7. A big jar of pickled peppers lasts a long time and keeps for several months. Then again, it gets eaten fast. You can also add a little sugar to the brine, just a touch, as well as 5-6 Sichuan peppercorns, a cinnamon stick or some cardamom. If you plan to store the jars outside the refrigerator, it is better to sterilize the peppers, though that wonderful crunch may be lost.