Hot Chile Oil

NOTE:  Do take care when handling hot peppers, especially cutting and deseeding them.  Wash your hands carefully after working with them or wear rubber gloves. Avoid touching your eyes after handling them!

Makes 2 cups

Adapted from River Cottage Preserves Handbook

• 1 3/4 cups olive oil (some cooks prefer to use a neutral oil, such as grapeseed or corn)
  Handful of fresh hot chiles, split open (how many and what kind are up to you—experiment!)
• One teaspoon black peppercorns (sometimes I use red)

Pack the chiles and peppercorns into sterilized, dry pint canning jar.  Heat the olive oil (you won’t use quite all of it, but it’s good to have enough—I use the leftover bit in that day’s cooking) to 104 degrees and pour over the peppers. Let it infuse for a couple of weeks, then strain and rebottle.