Pickled Peppers With Shallots & Thyme

Wooey, Hot-N-Sweet! Brats deserve something feistier than relish or a a zucchini pickle, so I am sharing my recipe for quick Pickled Sweet Peppers with Shallots & Thyme.

Pickled Peppers With Shallots & Thyme are a bratwursts best friend. Brats deserve something feistier than relish or a a zucchini pickle, so I am sharing my recipe for quick Pickled Sweet Peppers with Shallots & Thyme. I have been on a non-stop grilling kick for over two weeks now, charring up and sizzling everything from fresh red peppers and eggplants to ribeye and rock shrimp. I don’t care what anybody says, a dinner like this at home is so much more enjoyable to me for the simple fact that it's less than half the cost of a restaurant in downtown Charleston unless of course it’s saucy French food I’m craving, in which case, I’ll make reservations!

Pickled Peppers With Shallots & Thyme are by no means a topping for the beasty Brat alone...

I was remembering the other day when planning my shopping list, of my Grandma’s spicy quick pickles made with zucchini or sometimes just lots of onions or cukes if they had them growing in the garden. I wanted a Brat in a bun this week SO BADLY; but they wouldn’t be complete without a hot-n-sweet pickle of some sort to accompany the condiments, diced onions, etc. I was leaning toward cauliflower and pearl onions, similar to Italian Giardiniera, but went this route given my respect for the Brat – a stand-alone quasi sandwich whose toppings need to be as stand-alone as it does. Pickled Peppers With Shallots & Thyme are by no means a topping for the beasty Brat alone; I like them so much that I also scatter them atop a platter of Barbecued Chicken Nachos, and they also taste outstanding on a homemade cast iron pizza. Who knew??

Ingredients for Pickled Peppers With Shallots And Thyme

MAKES 1 QUART (2 Pints)

1 pound sweet or mild mini bell peppers, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, seeded

2 large shallots, thinly sliced, separated into rings

2 cups white wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

5 fresh thyme sprigs

2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (I went heavier here, using 2 teaspoons to get my heat on)

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Pinch of coarse kosher salt

The Method

Place peppers and shallots in medium bowl. Mix vinegar and next 7 ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove brine from heat; carefully pour over peppers and shallots. Cover bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Uncover; cool to room temperature. Transfer to quart-size jar (or 2 pint jars), pressing peppers into brine. Cover; chill at least 4 hours and up to 10 days.