SippitySup

This is the time of year when the Hollywood Farmers Market is literally pumped up with colorful produce. It seems all the brightest vegetal hues make themselves prominent in August. Purple plums, crimson heirloom tomatoes, and golden squash embellish the stalls with all the flair of a Hello Kitty Lunch Box!

But there is another vegetable hitting it’s peak with the heat of summer. One that can pack its own heat and yet wears all these colors, and more. I am talking about peppers. Peppers in all sizes and all colors. Hot peppers, sweet peppers, or plain ole pretty peppers. They are really an inspiration to cooks like me who find creative kicks through colorful cues.

In fact one look at these peppers and Peter Piper popped in my pate! Hey it would happen to you too. Nursery Ryhmes carry potent cultural baggage.

Which got me thinking. Did you know  the phrase “Sippity Sup” started out as the title of a Nursery Rhyme?

Sippity sup, sippity sup,
Bread and milk from a china cup.
Bread and milk from a bright silver spoon
Made of a piece of the bright silver moon.
Sippity sup, sippity sup,
Sippity, sippity sup.

I feel kinda bad that I sorta usurped that poor old Nursery Rhyme. I mean it was a lesser-known Nursery Rhyme to be sure. I don’t think it held much favor with Mother Goose. So it wasn’t really that hard to beat the Google pants off it.

Still, there was a time when you could Google “Sippity Sup” and you’d find references to that less than popular children’s poem of the same name. Then “along comes a spider” in the form of a food blogger. And guess what? Now that poor little Nursery Rhyme does not even come up on the first page when you Google that phrase. That’s my fault– but it wasn’t intentional. I never even knew what HTML was before I started this blog. Let alone understand how to optimize it!

So I feel I ought to give something back to the Nursery Rhyme loving zealots out there. Maybe this way Bo Peep will stop sending me hate mail. Believe me, you do not know scared until you’ve run into Little Jack Horner in a dark alley. The places he’s willing to stick that thumb would shock you. Even that sissy Georgie Porgie seems willing to confront me on this matter. But when that cat and that fiddle convinced the dish to run away with the spoon, I knew they were conspiring against me. I mean what kind of food blogger’s own cutlery stabs him in the back like that?

So today we pay honor to Peter Piper! Yep, the very same Peter that picked a peck of pickled peppers. But, in Sippity Sup’s case a peck is a pound (it’s just easier to do the math that way). A Pound of Pickled Peppers!

Oh no, I just thought of something. Maybe I just made matters worse… maybe tomorrow when you Google “Peter Piper” Sippity Sup’s Pound of Pickled Peppers will come up at the top of the page.

Do you think they’ll send Miss Muffet after me?

Sippity Sup’s Pickled Peppers Makes about 1 pound CLICK here for a printable recipe

• 1 pound assorted peppers, (both sweet and hot)
• 1 large onion
• 3 cups Cider vinegar
• 1‑cup water
• 3 T sugar
• 2 T salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons coriander
• 1‑teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns

Choose a great and colorful variety of chili peppers. Both sweet and hot. Peppers like Banana, Fresno and Jalapeno are great. But use your imagination. Slice all the peppers in half lengthwise, even the small ones.

Place the peppers and the onion slices into a very large bowl. Set aside.

Add all the remaining ingredients to a large, non-reactive, saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool some for about 5 minutes. Then poor the hot liquid over the peppers and onions, stirring to coat well. The liquid should nearly cover all the ingredients. If not add a bit more vinegar.

Let the mixture cool. You may then cover the bowl and move them into the refrigerator. They will be ready to eat in about 4 hours. But will be at their best if you wait a week before eating them.

You may alternatively place the peppers and onions in a jar with plenty of the brine and can and seal them according to proper procedures and store these indefinitely.

SERIOUS FUN FOOD

Greg Henry

Sippity Sup

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