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Pepper Vinegar

A historical recipe from The Virginia Housewife, by Mary Randolph (1860).

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A historical recipe

The Virginia Housewife; Or, Methodical Cook, by Mary Randolph (1860). Project Gutenberg eBook #12519.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

United States

Known as an American recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 1 ingredient

  1. three pints of vinegar

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Get one dozen pods of pepper when ripe, take out the stems, and cut them in two;
  2. put them in a kettle with three pints of vinegar, boil it away to one quart, and strain it through a sieve.
  3. A little of this is excellent in gravy of every kind, and gives a flavour greatly superior to black pepper;
  4. it is also very fine when added to each of the various catsups for fish sauce.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Sieve
  • Kettle
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From The Virginia Housewife, by Mary Randolph (1860). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #12519 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12519). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.