Spice up cooked greens, rice and beans, shellfish etouffee and other traditional Cajun dishes with the heat and acidic flavoring of pepper vinegar. This seasoning features the same variety of hot peppers that originated in the Tabasco River area of Mexico, proliferated in Louisiana, and is used in a widely distributed commercial hot pepper sauce. Unlike the thick consistency of the bottled sauce available in your supermarket, homemade pepper vinegar sauce retains a liquid consistency ideal for adding a finishing splash of flavor to Cajun-style cuisine.
Step 1
Select a glass bottle with an elongated neck and narrow opening, similar to a ketchup or hot-sauce bottle. Ensure that the bottle has a lid that screws on securely.
Step 2
Rinse whole, red cayenne peppers -- preferably the Tabasco variety or bird peppers, depending on your region -- under cool running water. Rub the skin gently to loosen and wash away any residue. Set the peppers in a colander or on a paper towel and allow them to dry thoroughly.
Step 3
Press the peppers into the bottle, one at a time, with the pointed end going in first and the stem last. Fill the bottle at least half full of peppers.
Step 4
Insert the tip of a funnel into the bottle's opening. Pour cider vinegar into the funnel slowly until the bottle is filled to within an inch of its top.
Step 5
Screw the lid onto the bottle securely. Set the bottle in a cupboard or another out-of-the way area at room temperature for a week to 10 days as the pepper flavor permeates the vinegar.
Step 6
Replenish the vinegar in the bottle after you have used 1/2 to 2/3 of the liquid. When this second portion of Cajun pepper vinegar is used up, discard the bottle's contents.
Tips and Warnings
- Substitute red wine vinegar for the cider vinegar to make a more colorful sauce.
- Wear lightweight rubber gloves to protect your hands from capsaicin oil, in case there are any breaks in the skin or around the stems of the whole peppers when you insert them into the bottle.
Things You'll Need
- Glass bottle with lid
- Cayenne, Tabasco, or bird peppers
- Colander
- Paper towel
- Funnel
- Cider vinegar
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