Oil-packed chillies provide a spicy kick to salads, cooked dishes and relish trays. Use your favorite pepper variety when preserving, as all types of peppers store well marinated in oil. Leave the seeds in the peppers for the spiciest preserves or remove the seeds before canning if you prefer a milder flavor. Peppers have a low acid content and preserve best when treated in the high-heat environment of a pressure canner. However, you can use a waterbath canner if necessary.
Instructions
1. Cut three slits on the skin of the washed chillies. Set the chillies on a baking sheet.
2. Bake the chillies in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven until the skins begin to blister, or for about six to eight minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately place them in cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Peel the blistered skins from the cooled peppers. Cut the chillies into strips or leave them whole, as preferred.
4. Combine olive oil, vinegar, onions and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Pack the peppers into clean, sterilized pint jars. Leave ½ inch of space between the top of the peppers and the rim of the jar.
6. Fill the jars with the heated oil mixture, covering the peppers but leaving the ½ inch space at the top of the jar. Slide a plastic spatula around the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles between the peppers.
7. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean cloth to remove any oil spills. Set a canning lid on top the jar with the rubber gasket in contact with the jar rim. Screw a canning ring onto the jar to secure the lid.
8. Process the chillies in a pressure canner for 35 minutes at 12 to 15 lbs. of pressure. Process in a waterbath canner for 15 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 feet, 20 minutes for altitudes of 1,001 to 6,000 feet and 25 minutes at altitudes above 6,001 feet. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for using and venting the canner.
9. Lift the jars out of the canner with a pair of jar tongs at the end of the canning period. Allow a pressure canner to cool down until the gauge reads zero before opening it to avoid burns. Cool the jars in a draft-free area for 24 hours before handling and storing.
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