Pickled Garlicky Sweet Peppers
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

Pickling liquid:
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
3 cups water
2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons kosher salt

10 bell peppers, red or a mix of red, orange or yellow (the sweet varieties)

4 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped (this will give your peppers a serious garlic kick, but that’s a good thing in my book, and hopefully in yours as well!)

Preparation:

Roast the peppers:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line peppers on a large baking sheet and roast them for 45 minutes, turning them once, or until they are soft. Better to extend the cooking time than shorten it, as the skins will only come off easily if they’re fully cooked.

Prepare pickling liquid:
Bring pickling-liquid ingredients to a boil in a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool about 30 minutes.

Once peppers are roasted:
While they’re hot, throw the peppers in a large bowl and cover it with a lid or plate, trapping the steam inside. In 15 minutes, they should be cooled, and their skins should be easy to remove. If not, give it another 10 or 15 minutes to rest.

Once all of the pepper skins are removed, remove the core and seeds, and tear the peppers into strips, tossing them into a large bowl, jar or container. Pour the pickling liquid over the peppers (if you have extra brine, save it for next time) and add the chopped garlic. Chill them, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, for one day.

Pickled vegetables keep, covered and chilled, for 1 week, but good luck if they last that long in your fridge – I doubt it.