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Pimenta biquinho em conserva
Pimenta biquinho em conserva: little red beak peppers in sweet-sour vinegar, a mild, fruity snack for cheese
On the counters of bars and roadside empórios across Minas Gerais sit jars of tiny scarlet teardrops: pimenta biquinho, named for its little pointed beak. It is a cousin of the habanero with almost none of the heat, so the pickled peppers are eaten by the handful with cubes of fresh queijo minas or aged Canastra cheese, scattered over feijão tropeiro or tossed into salads. In the jar they stay plump and crisp, with a sweet, fruity, slightly smoky flavour and a mild vinegar tang. Abroad, look for sweet drop peppers or other small, mild red peppers. Common mistake: using Brazil's 4% table vinegar or topping it up with extra water; for jars that live in the cupboard the vinegar must be at least 5% acidity and diluted no more than five parts vinegar to one of water, as here. They are ready to eat after a week, when the colour has softened slightly and the brine has soaked right in. Chef's tip: leave a short piece of stalk on each pepper and prick it twice; they look prettier and the brine gets inside.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the peppers
- 1 ⅛ lb pimenta biquinho (sweet drop peppers)or other small mild red peppers
- 2 garlic clovespeeled
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
For the brine
- ½ cup water
- 4 tsp fine non-iodised salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Wash two 500 ml jars with new lids in hot soapy water, then keep the jars hot in a pot of simmering water until needed. Fill a deep pot with enough water to cover the jars by 3 cm and bring it to a simmer for processing.
10 minStep 2: Wash 1 ⅛ lb pimenta biquinho (sweet drop peppers), keeping a short piece of stalk, and prick each one twice with a clean toothpick so the brine can get in.
10 minStep 3: Bring 2 cups white vinegar (at least 5% acidity), ½ cup water, 4 tsp fine non-iodised salt and 2 tbsp sugar to the boil in a non-reactive pan and boil for 2 minutes until the salt and sugar dissolve.
4 minStep 4: Pack the peppers tightly into the hot jars with 2 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp black peppercorns divided between them.
5 minStep 5: Pour over the boiling brine to cover, leaving 1 cm of space at the top. Run a clean chopstick around the inside to release air bubbles, wipe the rims and close the lids fingertip-tight.
Step 6: Lower the jars into the pot, bring back to a rolling boil and process for 10 minutes (15 minutes if you live more than 300 m above sea level, which includes much of Minas). Lift out and leave undisturbed for 24 hours.
15 minStep 7: Check the seals: the lids should be concave and not flex. Store sealed jars in a dark cupboard for up to a year and wait at least a week before opening. Unsealed jars, or if you skip processing, go straight into the fridge and keep 2 months.
Step 8: Once opened, keep in the fridge for up to 2 months and use a clean fork. Discard any jar with a bulging or leaking lid, cloudy or fizzing brine, mould or an off smell.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 15 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pimenta biquinho em conserva take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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