Jalapeno Olive Oil


 
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Rene Roy

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I posted this on another forum, but figured I should ask here too...I have seen EVOO with hot peppers in it available at some speciality stores..can this be made at home?
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Well, yes and no--kind of, I guess.

The peppers you see in oil in stores have been 'canned' in oil to prevent botulism because oil and peppers are both low-acid. There is an approach you can use that does not require canning though you do heat the peppers and oil, and sterilize the jar and lid. It is a fairly standard approach in Mediterranean countries (which I have used myself many times) without issue. Technically, this is not an approach considered 'safe'.

I got the recipe from an old SOAR listing years ago. It is essentially the same process I've seen used in my travels around the Med.

I use the garlic (which I toss in with the peppers) and the lemon (which I squeeze on and mix into the peppers just before putting them in the jar. These are not pretty like the commercially made jars and bottles, but the oil and peppers are tasty. Note: the amount of oil you need can vary depending on the jar size. Also, you can leave the veins in the peppers for extra heat, but they need to be split so it's worth removing the seeds.



'Canned' Hot Peppers

2 c Hot peppers, any kind
Olive oil, extra virgin
1 Garlic clove, chopped (opt)
6 Drops lemon juice (opt)


Split and remove seeds and veins and stems from the peppers. Saute' with garlic in extra virgin olive oil until tender but not brown; pack still-hot peppers tightly into jar leaving 1/2-inch headroom. Meanwhile, heat 1 cup e v olive oil in saucepan to 300 degrees. Using a pointed knife, pierce a hole down the center of the peppers to the bottom of the jar and pour the hot oil into this hole a little at a time to avoid boil-over. Fill the jar to 1/4-inch from the top slowly. Wipe the jar top and sides with a paper towel and apply the cap tightly. No further processing is needed. The jarred product is shelf-stable (check for the requisite depressed lid). Be sure to sterilize the lid at the very least; the hot oil will sterilize the jar and peppers. I call this in-the-jar processing. Pierre!!!! PIERRE LARUE Prodigy BB 11/09/93
 
Renee.. K. Kruger's approach works just fine, but remember that if what you're looking for is a a good fresh flavorful blend of pepper and oil you should make a small batch fresh each time. The flavor quality of the bottled versions just doesn't hold up very well.

It makes a pretty gift and could be a way to keep all the hot peppers from your garden, but understand that the flavor will diminish after a few weeks. I've found that after a few months it takes on a somewhat sour taste.
 
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