Candied Peppers

Candied Peppers

3 cups apple cider vinegar

9 cups sugar

3 pounds peppers, sliced or chopped

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a nonreactive pot.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Boil for about 10 minutes to let it thicken.

Add the peppers.  Bring the mixture back up to a boil.  Boil until the peppers look somewhat dehydrated and shiny, about 6 - 10 minutes.  Remove the peppers from the pot.

Boil the liquid for another 10 minutes to let it reduce and thicken.

Pour the liquid over the reserved peppers.

The peppers can last in the refrigerator for a week (maybe longer).  You can also can the peppers, processing for 10 minutes and resting for 5 minutes.

Notes

-There are SO MANY variations to this recipe.  You can use jalapeños, sliced into ⅛” coins, including seeds.  If you really like spicy food, you can use Fresno peppers, sliced thin.  You can also use a combination of colorful bell peppers with or without a few Serranos.

-You can substitute brown sugar for a portion of the sugar.

-You might end up with more liquid than necessary, but don’t throw it away.  It can be used for so many things - a base for a salad dressing or a drizzle for stuffed chicken wings or seared rare tuna.

-If you’re using jalapeño coins, the weight of the peppers in the market is approximately what you’re using in this recipe.  However, if you’re seeding and chopping bell peppers (as you should because the white membrane is bitter), then you’ll need about a dozen bell peppers to get 3 pounds.