Pickled Jalapenos

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, & Shakes, page 114.

Makes 15 jalapenos. Allow to pickle in the fridge for at least 24 hours before using.

Pickled Jalapenos:

15 jalapeno chiles

2 cups red wine vinegar

2 cups white wine vinegar

2 Tbs. kosher salt

2 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. coriander seeds

1/2 tsp. black peppercorns

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1. Bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil. Add the jalapenos to the water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain well, pat dry with paper towels, and let cool slightly. Using a small paring knife, make a small slit in the center of each jalapeno and place in a small nonreactive bowl that has a tight-fitting lid.

2. Combine the red and white wine vinegars, the salt, sugar, coriander seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds in a medium nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. Pour the mixture over the jalapenos, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 1 week, stirring the mixture at least once during this time. Drain before serving, discarding the liquid and aromatics.

Notes:

- I halved the recipe, and I still have most of them in my fridge. He's got a couple other burgers in the book that call for them, but perhaps it would be wise to quarter it next time.

- I realized late at night while I was pickling the jalapenos that I didn't have cumin seeds or white wine vinegar. I discovered that caraway seeds can substitute cumin seeds at half quantity (so the recipe above would use 1/4 tsp. caraway seeds instead of 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds). My white wine vinegar substitute likely wasn't what it should have been, but I used what I had . . . which would translate to 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar.