When I was living in Mexico in the '80s, writing my first book on the country’s regional cooking, I found homemade versions of this brilliant condiment everywhere. This is what I wrote: “When you taste a pickled chile from the glass barrels in Querétaro, Aguascalientes or San Luis Potosí or from the beautiful bottled mixtures in Toluca or San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, the flavor seems so much more lively than the canned pickled jalapeños that fill our grocery store shelves.” Sadly, that’s still true today. That’s still the reason you should make these, especially if you grow chiles and need to preserve them. This version only has onions, garlic and carrot in it. I like to add a handful of cauliflower florets, too, along with the carrots. Just make sure there is enough of the salted vinegar/water mixture to cover everything.
A technical note: This recipe is written for vinegar with 5% acidity (what’s normal in our grocery stores), which is too strong for this kind of pickling. That’s why we cut it with water. In Mexico, a lot of commercial vinegar and all the homemade vinegar you buy in market stalls is weaker and can be used straight.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 medium onion, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 large carrot, peeled (if you wish) and cut into ¼-inch slices on the bias
- 6 to 8 large or 12 medium jalapeno chiles
- 1 cup vinegar (both distilled white and apple cider vinegar are common in Mexico)
- 2 or 3 bay leaves
- About 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- About 1 teaspoon dried mixed hierbas de olor (typically thyme, marjoram and/or oregano)
- A generous teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large (4-quart) saucepan, heat the oil over medium. When hot, add the garlic cloves and onion. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, along with 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, partially cover and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the carrots are crisp-tender and the jalapeños have turned olive-green, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. Pour into a heat-proof storage container and cool. Cover and refrigerate for a day before using. They will keep for months refrigerated in a sealed container.
