I just picked our first garden tomato of the season. Bright red and perfectly vine-ripened, it went straight into the kitchen. For this first, almost ceremonial tomato experience of the year I always keep it very simple: lightly toasted white sandwich bread, a generous smear of Duke’s Mayo and an excessive pile of sliced tomatoes so that nothing can distract from the bright, sweet-savory flavor of the tomato. Nothing fancy, nothing extra.
On this same day I also picked a peck of peppers. A peck, if you’ve ever wondered, is an old-time unit of measurement representing a quarter of a bushel, or eight quarts. The majority of what I harvested were hot peppers which will indeed be pickled, some in slices destined for tacos and garnishes, but a good portion of which will go into a large batch of hot pepper vinegar, featured in the 1984 cookbook Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen. The preparation couldn’t be simpler and the finished product has a myriad of applications from spicy brined fried chicken to punchy deviled eggs, but the best and most widely beloved is the hot pepper mayonnaise, which will likely be slathered on all subsequent tomato sandwiches of the season and served as a dressing on grilled vegetables. It sneaks into coleslaw, chicken salad and anything that would benefit from a little sparkle.
The original recipe calls for jalapeno peppers, but the vinegar is delicious when it is made with a range of peppers from fruity, super-hot Caribbean peppers to more mellow shishito peppers. When the harvest is on full force, it often becomes a blend of various types of both sweet and hot peppers.
I grew up eating this hot pepper mayonnaise made from scratch with fresh eggs and still make it regularly that way at home. When I’m cooking for a crowd, however, I use a good quality prepared mayonnaise which is more stable and less prone to spoil on a picnic table. For years I primarily used the vinegar just for the mayonnaise, but I’ve recently taken to using it in salad dressings and as a super brine for ridiculously flavorful fried or grilled chicken.
Hot pepper vinegar
Ingredients:
1 cup water
6 tablespoons cider or white vinegar
A pinch of red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
4 jalapenos or other hot peppers, chopped
Combine the water, vinegar, red pepper flakes and salt in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the peppers and remove from heat. Let cool, then transfer into a jar and refrigerate overnight. Strain before using.
Hot pepper mayonnaise
This versatile condiment is delicious grilled corn on the cob, fish tacos and tomato sandwiches.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons ground hot pepper vinegar, above
¼ cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 fresh egg
1 ½ cups neutral oil, such as avocado
Combine the hot pepper vinegar, chopped green onions, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until very smooth. Add the egg and, with the motor running, add 1/2 cup of the oil in small teaspoons, until it begins to become very thick, then add the remaining oil in a slow, thin stream. Season to taste with salt and sugar as needed.
Alternatively, you can blend green onions and pepper vinegar with 1 ½ cups good quality prepared mayonnaise, then adjust salt and sugar as needed.
Hot pepper fried chicken
This brine also works beautifully for a grilled preparation.
Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 cup hot pepper vinegar
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon each onion powder and garlic powder
Neutral oil for frying
Sprinkle the chicken with the Cajun seasoning and add to a gallon zip-top bag. Pour in the hot pepper vinegar and seal before refrigerating overnight.
When ready to cook, pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish and add the flour, cornstarch and onion/garlic powders to another shallow dish. Whisk the dry ingredients.
In a large, deep-sided skillet, heat 2 inches of oil to 325 degrees over medium high heat. Working one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the vinegar and add to the buttermilk. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and let excess liquid drip off before dredging the chicken in the flour to thoroughly coat it. Transfer to a tray and repeat with the remaining chicken. Fry the chicken in two batches, turning it every two minutes until the crust is deep golden and the chicken is cooked through, about six to seven minutes total. A thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the chicken should register 165 degrees.
Serve with a drizzle of hot pepper mayonnaise, above.
Ashley Meyer is a chef, freelance writer and mom of two based in Springfield.
This article appears in Getting right with Native Americans.
