Have you ever ordered a Caesar or Bloody Mary and had the pleasure of having it served with a spicy bean? These gorgeous pickled beans are what my dreams are made of; spicy, crunchy and salty. What more could I ask for?
It wasn't until a friend of mine, Alexis Kelsall, and her blog "Domestic Bliss" inspired me, that I decided to get crackin' and create a few jars of these 'blissful' beans myself. Alexis has been a canning machine this past summer and fall, and this is one of her prize pickle recipes.
If you aren't into pickling, and you are slightly anxious about spending hours in the kitchen toiling over jars and hot pots, then this recipe is for you. It's simple, fast and most effective.
Alexis only uses chili flakes for the heat in her recipe, but I adapted it a wee bit by also adding in some pickled scotch bonnet peppers that I had picked up on a late spring trip to Barbados. This extra touch makes for beans with the perfect amount of spiciness for this hot mama.
If beans aren't your thing, this recipe also works well with carrots. I even have big plans on trying it with beets later on this fall. Give the recipe a shot and let me know what you think.
Spicy Beans
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 5 sprigs of fresh dill
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 5 teaspoons (or more) crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 pounds crisp beans, ends trimmed
Directions
Sterilize jars and lids and keep warm.
In a large preserving pot combine the vinegar, 4 cups water, and the salt. Bring to just a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt.
Quickly put a sprig of dill, clove of garlic and red pepper flakes in each hot jar. Pack the beans in the jars upright. Ladle hot brine into the jars leaving 1/2" headspace.
Wipe rims clean with damp paper towel, place lid on top and screw on ring just finger tight.
Return jars to canning pot and make sure water covers jars by 1". Bring water to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes to process. Remove jars, place on kitchen towel and don't disturb for 12 hours.
If after one hour any lids have not sealed (if it can be pushed down, it's not sealed) refrigerate immediately. Store the sealed jars in a cool dark place.
Makes about 8 x 500ml jars