Peanut Butter Stuffed Jalapenos Escabeche Recipe
(Excerpted from Holly Arnold Kinney’s “Shinin’ Times at The Fort”)
When Sam’l P. Arnold, founder of The Fort Restaurant, first heard of peanut butter-stuffed jalapeños, he thought the combination sounded “stranger than a five-legged buffalo.”
Lucy Delgado, a traditionalist New Mexican cook and the recipe’s originator, convinced her friend Sam’l to try it, recommending he pop the entire pepper in his mouth for the perfect jalapeño to peanut butter ratio. Despite his initial doubts, Sam’l fell in love with Lucy’s recipe and quickly added it to The Fort’s menu. Years later, he’d even serve the dish to TV anchor Bryant Gumbel on the Today Show!
Today, our guests at The Fort still delight in ordering the Jalapenos Escabeche from our appetizers menu, and they’re always pleasantly surprised that the pepper and peanut butter are such a delicious duo! Follow the steps below to spice up your next potluck or dinner party with this signature taste of the Old West.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
- Pickled jalapenos (store bought or homemade, Fort-style pickled jalapenos recipe below)
- ¾ c. peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
- 2 tbsp. mango chutney
Directions
1. Slice the pickled jalapenos in half lengthwise not quite all the way through, leaving the 2 halves attached at the stem end.
2. Using a knife or spoon, remove and discard the seeds and ribs.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and chutney.
4. Stuff the chiles with the peanut butter mixture and press the halves back together.
5. Arrange the stuffed jalapenos on a platter and serve.
Take Lucy Delgado’s advice and warn guests to eat the whole chile, so their bite includes 70 percent peanut butter and 30 percent jalapeño. Smaller bites squeeze out the peanut butter and intensify the hot pepper flavor!
Fort-Style Pickled Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 1 lb. jalapeños
- 3 ½ c. cider vinegar
- 1 ¾ c. water
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 ½ tsp. salt
- 2 ½ tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. pickling spice
- ¾ c. coarsely chopped yellow onion
- ¾ c. coarsely chopped carrot
- 3 cloves garlics, whole and peeled
Directions
1. Rinse the jalapenos and trim off the woody ends from the stems.
2. In a 4- to 6-quart stainless-steel or enameled pot, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt sesame oil and pickling spice. Add the jalapenos, onion, carrot and garlic. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. While still hot, transfer the jalapenos and pickling juice to a sterilized 2- to 3-quart canning jar or other glass container. Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one week before using.