Chili Pickled Garlic
2 cups peeled garlic cloves
6 small peeled shallots
1 1/2 cups 'good' vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
6 hot chilis, sliced
Clean the garlic cloves, slice off the root end and any brown spots, and slice each clove in half unless they are small. Clean the shallots, slice off the root and top end and leave whole. Clean and slice the chilis - I recommend habaneros and jalapeņos - 3 of each, but you can substitute milder chilis.
Put the garlic and chilis in a glass canning jar - I prefer the kind that have a rubber seal and a wire hinge.
By 'good' vinegar - I mean anything BUT distilled or apple cider vinegar - your favorite, whether red wine vinegar, balsamic - red or white, tarragon vinegar etc. And at least 7% acidity. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar and pour into the jar to the top. (If you don't have enough liquid, just add vinegar until it's full.) Store in the refrigerator for a month or two - shaking every few days - until the bite of the fresh garlic has settled down.
