Roti Chanai, Take 2, with Roasted Squash and Jalapeno Pickle

I'm all about eating locally, and Indian food is not exactly what immediately pops to mind. I'll tell you, though, everything in this dish was local, from the chili peppers to the squash, to the flour for the roti.

Last time my roti turned out pretty ugly, but delicious. This time they actually crushed properly. Well, it's not exactly supposed to be crushed up like this, but you are supposed to kind of smash it up a little so it's flaky...I just went a little overboard and got rid of the evidence that I didn't make it very well. Then I used the pieces to scoop out the sweet pumpkin flesh of the my roasted fellow and ate it with my Indian jalapeno pickle. Side dish of champions. I had to ration myself to only half the squash.

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

I actually feel bad writing this now because I haven't eaten these yet. They're sitting in my fridge (because I'm paranoid about my cupboard since there was no water bath afterward) waiting for me to decide they're ready (Apparently it only takes a week, and these only last a few months, so the window of opportunity is small for so many jalapenos). They're also waiting for me to finish eating my pickled red chilies, my Sriracha chili sauce, and my most recent Indian pickled jalapenos. Why open yet another beautiful pickle when I'm not ready for it and its life becomes shortened by letting it breathe? That would feel awfully gluttonous, well, as far as brine-pickled jalapenos can be considered gluttonous. I mean, come on, it's not as if there's a pound of butter and cream in there; the chilies aren't going to go to my waist.

Take a second here to picture that...chilies going to your waist. Someone could then nibble my waist and their mouth would burn. It would be a sign...whether they liked chilies or not would be an important moment. Nevermind why that person would be nibbling my waist in the first place. One of these days I'll learn to be a romantic and less...unique (I hate the word "weird"). Maybe.

One quick note on the recipe: It comes from David Lebovitz via Michael Ruhlman and Michael Symon, three food writing greats. The last paragraph of Lebovitz's intro to the recipe made me stop for a second and think about life...

He says he keeps Ruhlman and Symon's book on his bedside table to read at night,

"kinda like “normal” people make, say…fiction or biographies their bedside reading. Or keep their refrigerator stocked with things like milk, vegetables, eggs, and other necessities…instead of cramming it full of pickles."

Yup, you should see my fridge, David. I completely understand. It's ridiculous. My roommate is silently fuming that there's no room for his food because there are jars everywhere - labled yet mysterious jars filled with strange things. One by one they disappear, only to be replaced by my next pickled concoction...

Pickled Jalapeños

Adapted from Live to Cook by Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman

1 pound (450g) fresh jalapeno peppers, washed

2 1/2 cups (625ml) water
2 1/2 cups (625ml) vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons coarse salt, such as kosher
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1. Sterilize a bunch of jars (estimate: five 250mL jars) and rings. Wash them with the lids in hot, soapy water, and the put the rings and jars in the oven at 220 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Or put them in water covered by 2 inches, bring the water to a boil, and boil 20 minutes. The oven is less of a hassle.

2. Stab each pepper three times with a sharp paring knife and place them in the sterilized jars (use tongs to move the jars around and take them out of the oven, and use chopsticks to stick the jalapenos in the jars. I removed the stems because they take up valuable space, and I think I even stripped out the seeds. That was such a long jalapeno seed-stripping day. You should skip that step and just cut off the tops)

3. In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the other ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

          4. Bring a small pot to a simmer and then reduce the heat to very low. Add the jar lids for 5 minutes or until you're ready for them.

          5. Remove the brine from the heat and pour over the peppers in their jars. Push the peppers down with the chopsticks to make sure you get any air bubbled out and squish the chilies in as much as possible. Wipe the rims down with clean paper towels (no touching with fingers!). Place the lid on the jars, twist on the rings and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate for at least a week before using, if possible. (You can use them sooner, but Michael says they’re worth the wait. If Michael says, then who am I to argue? So I wait. Thank goodness I learned patience with ginger confit, but that was just 5 days.)

Now the things is, as I said, these only last a few weeks! So I have a lot of pickles to get through and some friends to make with some timely gifts. Any takers? Otherwise they're going straight to my hips.

Indian Jalapeno Chili Pepper Pickle and My Addiction to Heat

Absolutely amazing. I can't believe I almost didn't make this recipe. I spent about an hour looking for the perfect pickled jalapeno recipe and I chose two -- this one and a standard vinegar-brine chili pepper recipe. But this one...I have no words.Basically my first bite of this was up there with some of the best restaurant experiences of my life (butterfish with wakatake sake at Ame, tagliatelle at Enoteca Sociale, marrow at Aix Cuisine du Terroir. That's all I can think of) and the best recipes I've ever made (2 day marinated almond poppy seed lamb with figs. That's the only recipe. Oh, and perfectly in-season ataulfo mangoes. The eggplant dish is pretty amazing, but has nothing on this pickle).

Now I know not everyone is as obsessed with heat as I am, but this stuff is addictive. It took me FOREVER because I took out the seeds of the peppers (I'm really not into just heat, I'm into heat and flavour when combined with heat, and the seeds are just ungodly hot), but I am so happy now. Yes, chili peppers create endorphins, so maybe I ate so much of this that I pickled myself happy?

It looks gross, yes, but Indian food in general looks like a stewed mess and only Vikram Vij's team at his Vancouver restaurant tried to make it beautiful. Everyone else who cooks it just eats it, closes their eyes, and dies of happiness. The reason I love this so much may have something to do with the fact that I halved the recipe but forgot to cut the salt in half too...

Or it could have something to do with the 1/2 cup of oil, but I doubt it because the oil doesn't actually add any flavour. Since it was a canning recipe, though, I didn't skimp.

Indian Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
1 lb fresh green chilies (you can use green or red and any type or size you want, but the heat and flavour of the pickle will vary greatly
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tbsp garlic, chopped roughly (it gets blended)
250 ml mustard oil (about 1 cup. I used sunflower oil, but mustard oil will be better and bitter)
1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp nigella seeds (black cumin seeds)
1 tbsp black mustard seeds (a little extra if you don't use mustard oil. It doesn't really make up for it at all, but it can't hurt)
1 tsp crushed asafoetida (I've only ever seen it in chunks at Indian or specialty spice stores, and then you need to grate it. It smells like onion and garlic together, so don't make this and then plan to hold hands with someone you like all night. If you don't like 'em, grate away)
1 tbsp salt (1! Not 2! Geez...)

Directions: This is a 2-3 day process. I'm sorry, but just do it once, and then yell at me if you still want to.

Wash and dry the chilies.

Cut off stalks and slice chillies across into 1 cm (1/2 inch) slices. Give yourself a good hour to to do this. Invite a friend over to help, one who doesn't plan to put in his or her contacts later that night. Done that a few too many times. Wasted a lot of contacts that way...hurt a lot of eyes that way...well, two.

Sprinkle with salt and turmeric, toss to mix evenly, cover and leave for 2 days in the sun or place in a very low oven for 2 hours each day. (2 days! Ridiculous! But I did it. Even turned the oven on as directed.)

1 day in advance, soak the mustard seeds in vinegar overnight, then grind in an electric blender with the garlic when you're ready to start cooking.

Sterilize about four 250mL jars and lids (it's better to do 7 or 8 125mL jars if you have them, because this pickle is precious). So wash the jars, lids and rims in hot soapy water. Then stick the jars and rims in the oven for 20 minutes at 220 Fahrenheit. Then just leave them in the oven until you're ready for them (remember to turn the oven off).

Get all the other ingredients ready in advance. No time to prep while you fry.

Heat oil in a large pan and add the fenugreek and nigella seeds.

Heat while stirring, until the fenugreek is golden brown (not long at all, just about 10-20 seconds or so), then add the asafoetida, stir, and add the blended mustard seeds and the chilies together with any liquid that is there. The salt will have sucked the water out of the chilies but for some reason you want to pour it all in. I think it makes the chilies a little more crunchy so they don't wilt in the cooking and get soggy in the pickle.

Cook, stirring now and then, until the oil rises to the top and the chillies are cooked but soft.The oil seemed to rise right away, but I think I cooked about 8 minutes??

Bring a small pot of water to a simmer, reduce the temperature, and add the lids for 5 minutes to soften the wax.

Put the hot pickle into the sterilized jars, put the lids on top, and tighten the rings (no hands, please). Tongs are wonderful things. So are pickles. Oh God, so are pickles.

I waited about a week before eating this and the first things that hit me was the salt, then the other savoury spices, then the heat, and it was the heat that lulled me into submission. I would have done whatever it wanted. Fortunately it can't talk, so I assumed all it wanted was for me to keep eating it...which I did.

Pickled Indian Chili Peppers Dripping in Luscious, Spicy Oil

Oh, I suppose I should tell you what you can eat this with. I've had it so far with squash, bread, eggplant, fennel, and roti, but it goes perfectly with anything that needs a kick and doesn't already have too much (or uncomplementary) seasoning of its own. So daals are good, or lentil soups, or noodles, or rice, or potato dishes (even buttery ones). Maybe even chilies or stews, but you won't know until you try. This is basically my all-purpose seasoning for the next while. Instead of salt, I will add salty, pickled jalapenos. Note: it does NOT go with hummus. DOES NOT!