Pickled serrano chilis

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

The pickling of hot peppers is a common practice across Latin America. These pickled serranos add tartness and heat to everything from tacos to scrambled eggs. For the tastiest results, allow the pickled peppers to sit in the refrigerator for at least a week before you use them.
Serrano chili peppers fall between Jalapeño and Cayenne peppers, which should give you an idea just how mild they really are.

Ingredients

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
2 large white onions, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1⁄4″ slices
2 tsp. toasted cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried oregano
24 serrano or jalapeño chilis
12 whole allspice
12 whole black peppercorns
4 dried bay leaves
1 cup distilled white vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste

Preparation

Heat the oil in a 12″ skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook until just soft, about 2 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano, peppers, allspice, peppercorns, and bay leaves; cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt; bring to a simmer.
Transfer the pepper mixture to a 1 1⁄2 -qt. sterilized glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate for 1 week before serving.