ELVIA'S MEXICAN PICKLED VEGETABLES

Elvia's Mexican Pickled Vegetables image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 18

Total Time: 2 3/4 hours (including 2 hours cooling time)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons allspice berries
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 pound pearl onions, fresh (peeled; see Tip) or frozen (thawed)
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 large red, yellow or orange bell pepper, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 small habanero, or 2 small jalapeño peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Steps:

Refrigerate for up to 1 month (leave the spice bundle in for flavor). The oil will solidify; let come to room temperature before serving. | Equipment: Cheesecloth and kitchen string (or a tea ball)
About 8 cups
Place peppercorns, allspice berries, coriander seeds and cloves on an 8-inch-square double layer of cheesecloth. Bring up the sides, making a bundle that encloses the spices, and tie at the top with kitchen string (or put the spices in a stainless-steel tea ball).
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat Add sliced onion and garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, pearl onions, carrots, bell pepper and habanero (or jalapeños). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in vinegar, bay leaves, oregano, salt, cumin seeds and the spice bundle and cook 2 minutes more.
Let cool for 15 minutes before transferring everything to a large nonreactive bowl (see Tip). Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool, about 2 hours. Serve using a slotted spoon to leave behind excess oil.