Southern Hot Pepper Vinegar

Bumper Crop Leads to Beautiful Vinegars

We had a bumper crop of peppers this year -- jalapenos and chiles as well as milder banana peppers.

We made a hot pepper vinegar.  It's very easy.

Simple Ingredients

In a saucepan start with 4 cups of white vinegar.  Add 2 tablespoons of course salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Bring to a boil for two minutes. Let mixture cool.

Fill sterilized bottle with a combination of fresh peppers, with stems trimmed.  Use a chopstick to position them in the bottle and to poke neat holes in the peppers in order to bring out their heat and flavor.

Putting it together

Pour vinegar over peppers and allow a few minutes for it to "settle," before adding more. Place stopper in bottle and wait a week or so before using.

We used blackboard paint on each bottle to add our "brand" in chalk.

Bon appetit.

A Hearty Collard Dip -- Yes, As In Collard Greens

Greens for Luck

Along with most everyone, we cooked collard greens and black-eyed peas to welcome the New Year.  The peas will bring us luck, we hope, and the greens will bring us wealth.  However, we had more greens than we could conveniently prepare on New Year's Day -- so we made them again on January 2 and Steve ( @SteveMoffett ) transformed them into a hearty dip.

How We Cook Greens

We start with two slices of diced bacon, half an onion thinly sliced, some green bell pepper, also sliced -- and let the ingredients slowly saute in two tablespoons of olive oil.  We season this mixture with sweet basil, salt and pepper before adding the greens and allowing them to sweat. (The hosts of "Posh Nosh" would say perspire or be humiliated.)

Our 2014 greens were excellent -- we actually cooked a generous portion of kale with the collards -- and were quickly consumed with our homemade hot pepper vinegar as well cornbread and black-eyed peas.

Next Day Dip

On Friday, we cooked our remaining collards (no kale this time) in the same manner, and Steve decided to use them to make a hearty dip.  

First, after they were done, we allowed the collards to thoroughly cool in the pan. 

Then, we put them in the processor and added one teaspoon of mayonnaise and one tablespoon of olive oil.   Steve added two or three shakes of Cholula Hot Sauce.

Serve on Saltines and with Cheddar Cheese

The results were flavorful -- with a little kick from the hot sauce. 

We served this humble dip on an equally humble saltine -- with a sliver of cheddar. 
 

No Partridge in this Pear Pie -- Just Pears

 

My Grandmother Lottie Epperson Griffith was famous in several counties for her piemaking abilities.  She was perhaps best-known for her pecan pies, but she made many different kinds and I've never been afraid to experiment with pie.

My Mom and my Dad were also great in the kitchen.  My Mom, Betty Jo Boyd Griffith, could create anything and make it beautiful.  My Dad, Bob Griffith, wasn't afraid to experiment and combine unlikely ingredients.

We had some gorgeous Riviera Pears from Harry and David that were ripening too quickly for us to enjoy so I decided to make a Pear Pie.

A few weeks ago my sister gave me a 58-year old Dormeyer mixer that had belonged to my mother who passed away last year.  It seemed only logical to use that mixer-- and it still worked!
Ingredients include

Pastry to make 9-inch pie crust
2 pears sliced (I don't peel -- peel adds interest and texture)
1 cup white sugar plus 1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Slice and arrange pears -- slightly-layered like cards -- in bottom of pie plate.
Sprinkle pears with tablespoon of sugar and set aside while you make filling.
Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs. Add vanilla and flour and beat until mixed.
Pour mixture over arranged pears.
Bake at 350-degrees for 1 hour.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Serve with a slice or perhaps just a shaving of extra sharp cheddar cheese.