[CH] Cars as chile-vinegar-brewing appliances

raincrone@juno.com
Thu, 24 Jun 2004 09:52:35 -0400 

> White distilled can be a bit harsh.  Apple cider is mellower and has a 
> much better flavor, IMHO.  Better still is balsamic, but that can be
> expensive!  You can also get a whole range of flavored vinegars 
> like tarragon, anise, etc.


And don't forget the grape-wine vinegars, malt vinegar and (dear to me
as a Japanese-food freak) rice-wine vinegar.   Actually, except for white

distilled, there's not a vinegar I don't love.

I make  various chile vinegars to keep in the car for sloshing over 
fish, fries or whatever. . .and just to keep it symmetrical, I often use
the 
car to make 'em.  Most often this involves filling a jar or bottle to
within 
1" of the top with dried, split Super Cayennes (same flavor as regular 
cayennes, but a little smaller, much hotter and insanely prolific), 
filling up the jar to within 1/2" of the top with vinegar (usually cider,
but this year I'm gonna try malt), and setting  it, loosely capped and 
out of the sun, on the floor of the car on a summer day.  The 
140F-something  daytime heat in my little black Geo is exactly right for 
brewing  up a good hot, flavorsome vinegar within a few days, and 
of course it makes the car  smell gorgeous.

If I run out of this in cold weather, I'll generally just take a 
bottle of El Yucateco green or Bufalo chipotle with maybe 1" left in it, 

and fill it most of the way up with whatever vinegar strikes my 
fancy at the time.  It's tasty, but it's not the same; for one thing, you

can't fish the chiles out of it and slap 'em on your veggieburger. :)

I don't add any garlic to my chile vinegars; since they're mainly for 
use on driveup lunches on the way to somewhere I'll be around 
people, I avoid the breath problem.  (And anyway, that's what
sriracha is for. :))

Keep on rockin',
Rain
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