RSS Feed

Posts Tagged ‘chili’

  1. Chili Jeli

    January 24, 2012 by Lisa


    This is a delicious and spicy (obviously) jam that makes a great gift. Amazing with a bit of brie or camembert on toast or a biscuit or in a sandwich with cold meats. Use hotter chilis or increase the proportion of hot chilis to make a spicier jam.

    The chilis are so low in pectin, that a little help in the form of liquid pectin helps it set. It you are a jam expert and think you don’t need the pectin, leave it out, although I found that I had to re-boil the jam to get it to set before I started adding it as a matter of course.

    Ingredients:

    • 150 g long fresh red romano peppers, deseeded and cut into pieces.
    • 150 g hot chili peppers, deseeded and cut into pieces
    • 1 kg jam sugar
    • 600 ml apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon pectin
    • 10 x 130ml sealable jars

     

    Sterilize the jars and leave to cool. I put them in a pan of water, filling each jar 3/4 with water and placing the lids on top, then bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

    Place the cut-up chilies in a blender and pulse until they’re finely chopped.

    Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a large pan over a low heat. Use a pan larger than you think you’ll need as it easily boil over and you need it to boil vigourously if you have any hopes of the jam setting.

    Scrape the chili-pepper mixture out of the blender and add it to the pan of dissolved sugar. Bring the pan to the boil, then leave it to boil. A jam thermometer is highly recommended as it needs to reach 105C (221F) and then boil additionally for 10 minutes. You can check to see if it’s set using the frozen saucer method: place 4 or 5 saucers in the freezer at the beginning of your jam making session; check for a set by dropping a bit of jam onto the frozen saucer and push it around with your finger. If it gels, it’s probably going to set properly.

    Take the pan off the heat and allow it cool for 45 minutes or so. Skim off any foam, pour into your jars and seal tightly. It may take several hours or overnight for the jam to set.

    Category Desserts and Sweets, Starters and Light Bites | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  2. Pork Tamales

    May 16, 2011 by Lisa

    Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish that takes some effort to make, but are so worth it! Because of this, these days they’re mostly served at special occasions, like Christmas Eve or parties.

    I’ve made a couple of different fillings for this now, and I actually prefer the fresh pepper version to the more traditional dried pepper version which I find a bit bitter. The red sauce can be used for enchiladas as well. You can get the corn husks, and masa at mexgrocer.co.uk or the Cool Chile Company in the UK. Makes about 30 tamales. You can freeze the extras. Allow 2-3 per person, keeping in mind that some people won’t stop at 3!

    Pork filling

    • Large pork Shoulder roast (700g or so)
    • 1 medium onion, quartered
    • 2 cloves garlic, crushed

    Remove the fat from the roast and cut into pieces. Add garlic and onion, cover with about a liter and a half of water and bring to the boil, then lower heat to simmer and cook for 2-3 hours or until the pork is very tender. Remove from heat, shred the meat and set aside. Reserve the broth and cool (you can skim off the fat once it’s cooled.)

    Fresh Pepper Red Chili Sauce

    • 4 large Romano peppers
    • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 3 cloves, crushed
    • 3 peppercorns, crushed
    • 4 or so hot peppers, to taste. The mild red ones are my preference, but go as hot as you like.
    • 1 cup broth from bullion (vegetable or chicken)
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 2 tablespoons shortening

    Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds and stems. Wash hands after touching them and keep your hands away from eyes and other sensitive “bits”! Roast the red and hot peppers in a hot oven until just blistered. Place the peppers, garlic, salt, cumin, cloves, peppercorns and broth in a blender and blend until smooth. Melt the shortening in a large saucepan and stir in the flour until smooth. Starin the pepper mixture into the flour misxture and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add the shredded pork to the sauce and set aside while you prepare the masa.

    Tamale Dough
    The directions are on the corn masa packaging, but in case they’re not:

    • 4 cups masa flour
    • 4 cups reserved lukewarm pork broth
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 1/3 cups lard or shortening

    Combine the corn meal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and add the broth, mixing well with hands. In a small bowl, beat the shortening until fluffy and add it to the masa mixture and beat until the dough is a bit spongey.

    Assembling the Tamales
    Soak about 30 dried corns husks in warm water for 30 minutes and rinse. Hold a husk with the pointed end facing down and spread a large spoon full of dough (about 2 tablespoons) in the centre of the husk (each husk should be 8 inches long and 6 inches wide at the top. If husks are small, overlap 2 small ones to form one. If it is large, tear a strip from the side). Place about 1 tablespoon meat and sauce mixture in the middle of the masa and fold in sides of husk and fold up the bottom. You can fold down the top or leave them open.

    Place the tamales in a very deep stockpot with 2 inches of water and a steamer basket in the bottom. Make sure the basket is raised an inch or two above the water (I used two steamers on top of each other) as you don’t want the water to splash onto the tamales. Make sure the pot doesn’t boil dry. If the tamales are open at the top, make sure the open top of the husk is facing upward. Cover with a wet cloth and steam for about an hour and a half or until the husk separates easily from the corn meal.

    Serve the tamales with the husk removed and remaining sauce poured over the top.

    Category Dinner Menu | Tags: ,,,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Chili con Carne

    December 6, 2006 by Lisa


    Ooh, yum. My recent trip to the states gave me a taste for some American home cooking. I dragged a couple packets of corn bread mix home and made this easy chili with what I could find in the house.

    Ingredients:

    • 500gm beef mince
    • 1 large shallot or half an onion
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 can kidney beans
    • 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped roughly or 1 can chopped plum tomatoes
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 1 tablespoon flour
    • 3 tablespoons water
    • several good shakes Tabasco (I think I did about 10) or chili powder to taste
    • 1 half a tube of tomato paste
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Brown the beef and shallots in the olive oil. Add the kidney beans, pasta sauce and fresh tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Mix the flour, cumin, tabasco and water into a paste and add it to the beef and beans. Cook an hour at low heat, stirring frequently. Longer is even better, when poss. Add more tabasco and salt and pepper as you like!

    Category Dinner Menu, Lunch Menu | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments