Recipes

Peppers, Hot

Hot Pepper Info: If you can't use a lot of them right now, but know they'd be a great addition to a wintertime pot of chili (or whatever!), just chop them up (remove seeds first) and put them in small freezer bags or containers and freeze them!  ....a little heat for wintertime cooking.

Titles on this page, in order. Scroll down to find the recipe you're interested in:

Hot Pepper Jelly, California Caviar, Medium Salsa, Uncooked Green Tomato Salsa, Megan's Salsa Fresca, Roasted Tomatillo and Garlic Salsa

Hot pepper jelly
Makes about 8 half-pints
1 c minced hot peppers minus seeds and membranes
6 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c white vinegar
6 ounces liquid pectin
In large pot, combine minced peppers, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let
stand 5 minutes. Skim off any foam.
Return pot to heat and bring to a full, rolling boil. Stir in pectin and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Ladle into hot, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and seal with hot lids and screw bands. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.

California caviar
1 1/4 c dry black-eyed peas
3 c water
1 c chopped green pepper
1/2 c chopped green onion
1/4 c diced red pepper
1/4 c hot peppers, seeded and minced
3/4 c Italian salad dressing
Place beans in large pot with water; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 45–50 minutes or until beans are just barely tender.
Drain and rinse with cold water.
In bowl, mix beans with green pepper, green onion, red pepper, chilies, and salad dressing. Chill.
Serve over lettuce or as dip.

Medium salsa
Makes about 3 cups
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 c chopped onion
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 whole jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
Mix garlic, juice, cumin, salt and oil.
Add tomatoes, onions, herbs and pepper; toss.
Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or several hours in the refrigerator.

Uncooked green tomato salsa
2 c chopped green tomatoes
1/2 c chopped cucumber
1 tsp salt
2 minced green onions (green and white parts)
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 hot pepper, minced
1/4 c cilantro, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Mix tomatoes, cucumber and salt. Let stand 1 hour, stirring occasionally; drain and return to bowl.
Add onions, green pepper, hot pepper, cilantro and juice; stir.
Puree half the mixture in food processor. Return puree to bowl and chill. Serve as dip or condiment.

Meg's Salsa Fresca
-Megan E.
3 or 4 tomatoes or 8-10 tomatillos
1 small onion
4-6 cloves garlic
¼ c. lime juice
basil as desired
1-2 hot peppers
salt
In food processor, chop onion, garlic, pepper, and basil.
Add tomatoes and pulse until coarsely ground
Add lime juice and salt to taste

Roasted tomatillo sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup
2 hot peppers
3 large tomatillos
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c sour cream
Grill peppers until skin blackens and blisters. Or, use tongs and hold over gas flame. Wrap blackened peppers in kitchen towel and cool at least 10 minutes. Peel off charred skin, remove stem and seed.
Remove tomatillo husks, wash and drop in boiling water. Boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool. Remove skin and stem.
Place peppers, garlic and tomatillos in food processor or blender; process coarsely. Add 1/4 c sour cream. Blend until smooth.
Note: Add more sour cream to cut the heat to your taste.

Roasted Tomatillo and Garlic Salsa
-Dee A.
1 pound (about 20 small) tomatillos
2 hot cherry peppers
1 head of garlic
20-25 leaves of cilantro, no stems
3 medium tomatoes – green in color, (green zebra), but ripe
Remove paper and wash tomatillos.
Oven roast the tomatillos and hot cherry peppers on an ungreased baking sheet for about 30 minutes at 375˚F. Oven roast the head of garlic, loosely wrapped in foil for about 60 minutes.
Remove stems from tomatillos and remove stems and seeds from the hot peppers. Place in food processor and blend. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the individual cloves and add to food processor.
Add the cilantro to taste, 20 or so leaves give a mild cilantro flavor.
Add tomatoes as desired to add a bit of sweetness, without loosing the tartness of the tomatillos. By using ripe tomatoes that are green in color, (green zebra), the salsa will retain its beautiful tomatillo green color.