Spicy Sweet and Sour Dill Pickles

This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units).It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews.Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.

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Serves 4.

Ingredients:

2l (67fl oz) Water
80g (2.8oz) Salt
250g (8.8oz) Caster Sugar
700ml (24fl oz) Distilled Vinegar
Fresh Dill Flowers
1.2-1.5kg (2.6-3.3lb) Pickling Cucumbers
12 Jamaican Peppercorns
12 Black Peppercorns
8 Bay Leaves
4-8 Chile peppers of your Choice (optional)

Instructions:

First things first:
Wash the cucumber thoroughly. Sterilize your jars and lids. I normally wash them in soapy water and boil for about 10-15 minutes in a large pot. Make sure all your jars are of the same size.

Make the sweet & sour pickling sauce:
Bring the water + salt + sugar to a boil. Cook until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat. Add vinegar & stir.

The pickling:
Place at the bottom of each jar 1 dill flower, 2-3 Jamaican peppercorns/Allspice, 3 whole pepper corns, 2 bay leaves + optional: coriander seeds, cloves.

Then fill each jar with whole pickling cucumbers – fit in as many as possible (you could fit it about 400g/14oz) and 1-2 chiles, if you like them hot.

Pour over the sweet & sour pickling sauce leaving 1cm/0.5 inch headspace.

Close jars with sterilized lids and place them in a pot. Cover with water but make sure the lids are NOT under water (leave 1cm/0.5 inch space between lids and water).

Note: You can use warm or cold sweet & sour pickling sauce. If you use cold one (you can prepare it day ahead) then use warm water fill the pot. If using warm one, then use warm water to fill the pot.

Slowly bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes at 100C/212F.
Take the jars out (use thongs) and place them onto a kitchen towel upside down until the next day.

Check if each jar is airtight. If you find some jars are not, simply place them in the fridge and eat these first.

From happyfoodstube.com