Alright, let me tell you about this ‘red rebel extract’ I whipped up the other day. It wasn’t anything too fancy, just me messing around in the kitchen, really.
Getting Started
So, I had a bunch of these real fiery red peppers sitting around. Got ’em from a buddy’s garden. They looked mean, you know? Bright red. I thought, waste not, want not. Decided I’d try and get the essence out, make something potent.
First thing, I put on some gloves. Learned that lesson the hard way before, messing with hot peppers bare-handed is a bad time. Trust me on that.
The Process – Bit Messy
Okay, so here’s what I did:
- Washed those peppers real good.
- Chopped ’em up roughly. Stems, seeds, the whole lot went in. I wasn’t aiming for pretty, just potent. The kitchen started smelling fiery real quick.
- Tossed all the chopped bits into a clean glass jar. Packed it in there pretty tight.
- Then, I poured in some basic white vinegar. Just enough to cover all the pepper bits completely. Some folks use oil, but I felt like vinegar today. Gives it that sharp kick.
- Sealed the jar up tight. Gave it a good shake to mix things up.
Waiting and Shaking
Now, this wasn’t an instant thing. I stuck that jar in a cool, dark cupboard. The plan was to let it sit, let the vinegar really pull out that color and heat from the peppers. Patience is key here, which isn’t always my strong suit, ha!
Every day or so, I’d remember to grab the jar and give it a good shake. Watched the vinegar turn this amazing deep red color over about a week. Looked kinda rebellious, hence the name I guess.
Straining and Bottling
After about a week, maybe ten days, I decided it was ready. Got another clean jar, put a fine mesh sieve over it, lined with a bit of cheesecloth just to be sure.
Carefully poured the mixture through the sieve. Let it drip for a while to get as much liquid out as possible. Squeezed the cloth gently – still wearing gloves, mind you! The stuff left in the cloth was just mushy pepper bits, tossed that out.
What I had left in the second jar was this clear, fiery red liquid. Smelled intense. That was it. My ‘red rebel extract’. Poured it into a smaller dropper bottle I had lying around. Makes it easier to use just a tiny bit, ’cause this stuff is seriously strong.
The Result
So yeah, that’s the story. No magic, just chopping, soaking, waiting, and straining. The extract is great. A drop or two adds some serious heat to soups or sauces. It’s got that raw, untamed pepper flavour. Pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s got that kick I was looking for.
