Pickles are one of my favorite ways to make a meal feel special.  An otherwise unispiring bowl of the ordinary seems cheerful when it shares the spotlight with contrasting bites of pickle.  It’s especially true when the pickles are just a little offbeat from the usual cucumber-based suspects.

These particular pickles are so good, that I sometimes serve them in large quantity as the main vegetable -as long as they aren’t too spicy.  The thing about buying jalapenos -especially from a grocery store- is that you never know what you are going to get.  This doesn’t make a big difference when one is chopped up and thrown in with onions in a batch of rice and beans, but when the peppers are a main ingredient, it does matter.*  My recommendation is that you commit to buying one, break a small piece off and hold the flesh to your tongue to see how fiery the batch is.  If it’s mild, buy plenty; if not make a small batch or wait until next time.

While jalapenos are traditional, I’m excited to try other vegetables as well (cauliflower would be good).  The seasoning itself does have a distinctively Mexican flavor if you’re sure to use Mexican oregano.  Let me know what you try!

*I’ve  made these pickles both so mild my toddler could eat them and so fiery, my husband’s (Mexican) side of the family could barely eat a few slices of carrot in a taco.

Mexican pickled vegetables -adapted from The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Dianna Kennedy
10 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
10 jalapenos
1 head garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup oil
4 cups MILD vinegar (I used a mixture of homemade pineapple wine vinegar and homemade white wine vinegar), or try diluting apple cider vinegar (I’d start with 3  cups vinegar to 1 cup water)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 heaping tablespoons salt
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Mexican oregano

Prepare the vegetables.  For the jalapenos, keep the stems intact. At the bottom end of the pepper cut a slit 1 1/2 inches up towards the stem, and another slit at a right angle, so that the pepper has four long strips at the bottom.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, and cook the vegetables until the onions and peppers have wilted, about 10 minutes.  Pour out the excess oil, if any.  Add the rest of the ingredients (vinegar and seasonings) and bring to a boil.  Simmer for another 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.  Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems.  If you plan to keep them for more than a couple of days, store in sterilized jars (refrigerated.)

David Lebovitz’s chocolate ice cream with peanut butter patties from The Perfect Scoop. Because some things are worth celebrating.