Levantine cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Kabis Filfil

Hot green peppers pickled with garlic and bay leaf in a vinegar brine, crisp and sour after a week.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 800 g hot green peppers (Turkish long peppers)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 500 ml water
• 300 ml white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Boil a large lidded jar in briskly boiling water for 10 min. and let it dry on a clean cloth.
2. Wash the peppers, pat them thoroughly dry and prick each one two to three times with a fork so the brine can penetrate inside.
3. Layer the peppers tightly in the jar with the crushed garlic cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns, without squashing them.
4. Bring water, vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil in a pot and boil briskly for 2 min. until the salt and sugar have fully dissolved.
5. Pour the hot brine over the peppers until everything is covered, add the olive oil on top as a protective layer, and seal the jar tightly right away.
6. Let the jar cool and leave it in a cool, dark place for at least 7 days; then serve with mezze and grilled meat.