Tag: spicy

Orange and chili jam
13Mar

Orange and chili jam

The idea of growing your own fruit and veg has always appealed to me. Dealing with plants during the winter and their temperament when it comes to types of soil and water quantities is not so appealing. So although the chilies for this recipe come from our garden, I give credit to my husband for caring for them from seed to harvest time. A harvest that filled a cereal bowl! This jam is not very spicy so my suggestion would be to keep the seeds on when blending in order to get enough heat. I used tinned roasted peppers but you can also dry fry the peppers with the chilies if you want to use fresh. Spread generously on sausage sandwiches or on a slab of sharp cheddar. Orange and Chilli Jam Yields 800g 100g of red chillies 460g roasted red peppers (skinned) 400g tinned tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic (grated) 1 tsp all spice 1 tsp salt 2 cm piece of ginger, skinned and grated 160ml apple cider vinegar 2 oranges, juice and zest 350g dark brown sugar 1. Sterilise glass jars by placing them in the dishwasher or baking them in the oven (200C) for around 20 minutes
2 mins read
2110 Views
Chia and sesame seed GF crackers
04Jun

Sesame and chia seed crackers

Currently I have the biggest jar of coconut flour in my cupboard. I bought it after getting hooked into a book about quitting sugar. That went well for a couple of months, long enough for me to come to the conclusion that I would never quit sugar. I mean, have you seen my feed? So the huge bag of coconut flour is a a reminant of that period. Coconut flour scares me as I have never used it outside of specific recipe regulations. But with the purpose to make good use of it I decided to go rogue. Well crackers aren’t that rogue. No raising agent, pulsing everything in a food processor. And the right dip makes all the difference. Hard to go wrong. As a snacker, crackers are such an important part of my day. If I could have 10 well rounded snacks throughout the day rather than 3 round meals I would. I live for snacks. And because I live for snacks I am always trying to evolve them into something different. Because here’s the thing: I will get absolutely obsessed with apple slices and peanut butter and then never want to see it ever again. A broad
3 mins read
1380 Views
01May

Meat stuffed Syrian bread (Arayes), hummus and fattoush salad

Each and every culture has classic dishes, different approaches to mixing spices and different ways to prepare food and I love this, I love experimenting with new recipes, going to different shops looking for ingredients that are still unknown to me. And then I wait with bated breath for the final result. It’s like travelling without leaving your own kitchen. I have been meaning to make a simple but special dinner and decided to add a Lebanese twist to it. I must admit that Lebanese cuisine is not that unknown to me as I grew up with my grandma’s Lebanese cooking. However I feel it is time for me to give my own twist to these familiar recipes which bring back so many amazing childhood memories. Wish I could go back in time. I made 3 different recipes to make up my dinner menu but they are all very versatile. For instance Arayes are great as a light lunch or snack to have with friends and a bottle of beer or wine. The Hummus can also be used as a dip for vegetables, spread for sandwiches or added to fish, chicken or lamb. And lastly the salad, refreshing with the
4 mins read
954 Views
10Feb

Hot chilli hearts

Shops are overflowing with chocolate at the moment: truffles, biscuits, lollipops. All wrapped in pink with little roses and sprinkles. As a lady that made me think “why yes I love all these little sweet gifts on Valentine’s” but more often than not my better half doesn’t appreciate chocolate as much as I do. Especially when they are wrapped in pink heart-shaped boxes. He likes chilli, manly, puts-hair-on-your-chest fiery type ones. So I made him some red hot chilli biscuits. Heart-shaped ones because let’s not forget, it is Valentine’s after all. Cheddar and chilli biscuits (makes around 20) 100g Plain flour 100g Cold unsalted butter, diced 1 tsp cornflour 90g extra mature Cheddar, finely grated 1 red chili, finely diced 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1tsp salt 1/2 tsp Paprika Depending on how hot you like your food, adjust for measures of chili and cayenne pepper. And remember to protect your hands with gloves or a little plastic bag when removing seeds from chili! 1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix plain flour and butter with hands until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 2. Add all other ingredients and mix with hands until dough is homogeneous. Knead briefly onto a floured surface. The
2 mins read
607 Views