Archive for category Recipes

Fatalii Paella recipe

Mar 3

Posted by Suttons in Homegrown Food, Peppers, Recipes

The next ingredient from our Pepper and Chilli Around The World Collection to get its own recipe is Chilli Fatalii, is a brilliant sweet Italian variety. This spicy Paella recipe is a favourite of Fiona’s who receommends it highly!

Ingredients:
50ml/2fl oz olive oil
150g/5oz chorizo, cut into small chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Worldbeater pepper (from your collection), roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Fatalii chillies (from your collection), finely chopped
½ tsp smoked hot paprika
½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
500g/1lb 2oz paella rice, such as Calasparra
175ml/6fl oz dry white wine
1.5 litres/2½ pints hot fish stock
1 tsp saffron threads
4 large tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
12 raw king prawns, shells on
300g/11oz raw tiger prawns, peeled and cleaned
150g/5oz baby squid, cleaned, trimmed and cut in half
400g/14oz mussels, cleaned and debearded (discard any that don’t close when gently tapped)
300g/11oz clams (discard any that don’t close when gently tapped)
110g/4oz frozen peas, defrosted
1 lemon, juice only
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large paella pan or frying pan until hot and add the chorizo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the chorizo starts to release its oils.
2. Add the onion and pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, hot and sweet paprika and thyme and fry for one minute.
3. Add the paella rice and fry for two minutes until coated in oil.
4. Add the white wine and simmer until reduced by half.
5. Add the fish stock, saffron and tomatoes and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid nearly absorbed.
6. Add all the seafood and cook for 3-4 minutes until cooked through.
7. Add the peas and lemon juice and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. To serve, stir in the flatleaf parsley and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.

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Red Demon Chicken recipe

Feb 26

Posted by Suttons in Peppers, Recipes

Chilli Red Demon

We’ve launched a new Pepper and Chilli Around The World Collection so thought we’d celebrate by adding some recipes for the varieties included. We’re starting with a recipe for Red Demon Chicken which uses Red Demon Chilli which is part of the collection.

Red Demon Chicken
Ingredients

For the jerk chicken
2 tbsp mild jerk seasoning
1 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup (or barbecue sauce)
1 tbsp runny honey
2 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
2 tbsn vegetable oil

For the plantain
30g/1½ oz butter
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large ripe plantain, skin removed, cut on the diagonal into slices 2cm/¾ in thick

For the salsa
2 red demon chillies,(from your collection) finely chopped
½ small ripe pineapple, peeled and finely chopped
½ lime, juice only
2.5cm/1in piece fresh ginger, grated (optional)
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

For the rice and peas
25g/1oz butter
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
100ml/3½ fl oz light coconut milk
100g/3½ oz basmati rice
½ x 410g/14oz can kidney beans (do not drain)
1 sprig fresh thyme
½ tsp salt
310ml/11 fl oz boiling water
1 green bird’s-eye chilli (or ½ Scotch bonnet pepper)

Step -by-step

1. For the rice and peas, heat the butter in a saucepan and gently fry the spring onions and garlic. Don’t allow them to brown.

2. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil.

3. Stir in the rice, the kidney beans (along with the liquid in the tin), the thyme, salt and boiling water. Add the chilli, then stir, cover with a lid and bring back to the boil.

4. Once it’s come to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until all the liquids absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff lightly with a fork to separate the grains, cover and leave to stand.

5. For the jerk chicken, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the jerk seasoning, soy sauce, tomato ketchup (or barbecue sauce) and honey into a bowl and mix to a paste.

6. Use a sharp knife to make four or five deep cuts at an angle across the skin-side of the chicken breasts.

7. Brush half the jerk paste over the chicken with a pastry brush.

8. Brush a baking sheet with half the vegetable oil. Place the chicken breasts onto the baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining oil. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Brush with the remaining jerk paste during cooking.

9. For the last five minutes of cooking, place the baking tray at the top of the oven, where the temperature’s hottest, to brown the chicken. Check the chicken’s cooked through – there should be no pink when you cut into it

10. For the plantain, heat the butter and oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the plantain and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden-brown. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

11. For the salsa, place the onion, chilli, pineapple, lime juice, sugar and ginger, if using, into a pan and heat gently for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and then stir in the coriander and mint.

12. To serve, place the chicken onto serving plates with some rice and peas, a few slices of plantain and a spoonful of salsa.

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Pumpkin/Squash recipes!

Oct 31

Posted by Gardening Diva in Recipes

I have a lot of squash that I grew this year and of course the shops are full of Pumpkins plaincheap pumpkins so here are a few recipes you might like to try. I usually roast the pumpkin flesh first and then puree if needed for the recipe as it has a high water content but you can just boil it in chunks til its soft You can also use butternut squash for most pumpkin recipes.

Sweet pumpkin pie

I cheated as I bought some ready made sweet pastry cases reduced at the supermarket, but otherwise I would just knock up some pastry at home.

This recipe made 3 x 7 inch pies.

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2  tsp cinnimon
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 cups pumpkin puree
  • 18 fl oz evaporated milk

Really easy to make – just mix everything together in a bowl and spoon into a sweet pastry case.

Bake at 210 C for 15 mins then reduce to 175 C for 40 to 50 mins.

Should be golden on top and a knife will come out clean when inserted.

squash_butternutPumpkin/Butternut Squash soup

This is a great way of using up what you have left after making scary pumpkin lanterns or making use of the cheap leftover pumpkins. This recipe will also work with butternut squash instead of pumpkin.

Serves 2

  • 500g of pumpkin
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 1½ tablespoons of oil
  • ½ a tablespoon of lemon juice
  • ½ a teaspoon of mixed herbs
  • 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
  • half a red pepper
  • 500ml of water
  • 125ml of milk
  • 1 small chilli or half tsp chilli powder (optional)
  • Ground black pepper to taste

Cut the pumpkin or squash into one inch chunks. Removing the peel and seeds and any ’stringy bits’. Peel and chop the garlic, onion, red pepper and fresh chilli if using.

Put the oil into a saucepan on a medium heat and fry off the garlic, onions and red pepper (and fresh chilli if using) for a couple of mins until the onion is soft but not coloured. Stir frequently to stop it sticking.

Add the pumpkin and continue to cook for another 3 minutes and keep stirring throughout.

Dissolve the stock cube in the water and then add to the pan together with the herbs, chilli powder if using and lemon juice. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is simmering. Put the lid on the saucepan and continue to cook for another 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. 

Take off the heat and blend with a stick blender if you like a smooth soup or you can leave it lumpy, or give it a quick mash with the potato masher.

Reheat the soup again gently but do not allow it to boil, and then season to taste with the black pepper.

Butternut squash and Apple chutney

(I used pumpkin for this a few weeks ago and it tastes great)

  • 875g pumpkin, peeled and cut into inch cubes
  • 2 large cooking apples, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 carrots, diced
  • 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
  • 200g raisins
  • 5cm fresh ginger, chopped very fine
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried chilli
  • half tsp mixed spice
  • 700ml cider vinegar
  • 2 oranges, peeled, segmented and chopped
  • 500g granulated sugar

Place all ingredients except oranges and sugar in a large heavy pan and bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 30 minutes until mixture is soft.

Add the oranges and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and simmer gently for 45 minutes until the mixture is thick and pulpy. The chutney is ready when a wooden spoon pulled across the pan leaves a clear trail.

Spoon the mixture into hot sterilised jars and seal.

They said to store for at least a week before eating, but I tried mine as soon as it went cold and it was delicious!

Hope you enjoy!

Diva.x

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Blackberries – just ripe for the picking

Sep 25

Posted by Bea in Growing fruit, Recipes

It’s that time of year again when a cold can catch you unawares and all hell breaks loose with coughs and sneezes, runny noses – all the usual suspects. So is it a coincidence or the very clever way that nature seasonably produces its wares, that the delicious  and highly nutritional blackberry is in abundance on hedgerows and many gardens? The medicinal values of the virtuous blackberry have been  widely used for hundreds of years, and for cold and flu sufferers the blackberry is straight out of natures medicine cabinet - it is rich in astringent tannins which help to dry up secretions and protect mucous membranes throughout the body from irritation, inflamation and infection.

Take a look at this superb recipe – just the job to alleviate  your symptoms:

Blackberry Cordial

900g (2lb) Blackberries , or enough to yield 570ml(1pint) blackberry juice

6 tablespoons  of Honey (local if possible)

10 cloves

5 slices fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

7 tablespoons brandy or dark rum

Juice the blackberries (this can be done through a sieve) Place in a pan with the honey, ginger and cinnamon and bring to the boil over a low heat, keep stirring until the honey has dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes then leave to cool. When cold, add the brandy or rum and pour into a sterilised bottle and seal.

Obviously not one for the children, but this could also be used as a tasty sauce for pouring over stewed apples, ice cream etc.

Blackberries are generally planted between November and March, prefering partial shade  and slightly acid soil. New from Suttons is the Ouachita Super Sweet a  thornless variety that tastes  superb and produces an abundance of large fruit. Well worth a try.

If you haven’t been wild blackberry picking already why not have a go this weekend? What better than picking blackberries warm off the bush – delicious, and give yourself a treat by making  a blackberry and apple crumble.

My recipe for blackberry & apple crumble.

Blackberries

Cooking apples x 2  (Bramleys are best)

juice of half a lemon

approx 3 desert spoons of dark brown sugar.

For topping:

3 oz Butter (cold from fridge, do not use margerine)

6 oz plain flour white or wholemeal

3 desert spoons dark brown sugar

handful of porridge oats.

Select what size dish you want to make your crumble in. (we are not doing exact measurements here so adjust ingredients accordingly – it’s that easy!)

Fill your dish almost to the top with blackberries and slices of cooking apple (no need to pre -cook) and squeeze over some lemon juice. Sprinkle with sugar.

Make the topping:

Cut up the butter into cubes and rub into the flour. Add the sugar, mix together then sprinkle over the fruit (try and make sure that all the fruit is covered). Top the crumble with the porridge oats then cook for approximately 25 – 30 minutes. I have a fan oven that I set at 180 c.

Enjoy with some delicious  creamy custard.blackberry resized

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Green tomato recipes

Sep 20

Posted by Gardening Diva in Recipes

Green tomatoesI have a huge glut of tomatoes in the garden right now, plenty of ripe ones and even more green ones which are ripening slowly, so am enjoying the chance to try some favourite recipes.

Divas’ Green Tomato chutney
This is my tried and tested (and favourite) recipe.

1 pint vinegar
1lb demerara sugar
1 lb. chopped green tomatoes
1 lb. chopped cooking apples
½ lb. chopped sultanas
¼ lb. chopped onions
½ lb. sugar (granulated is fine)
½ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1 chilli finely chopped (You can skip this if you want a more traditional recipe)

  • Put the vinegar and demerara sugar in a pan and heat gently until sugar melts.
  • Add all the other ingredients
  • Bring mixture to boil and cook slowly stirring all the time until it thickens. (can take a long time)
  • It’s ready when you can pull a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan and the line you make stays clean.

Green tomatoGreen Tomato Soup (serves 6)

8oz potatoes
1 oz butter
1 lb green tomatoes
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 pints stock (I use chicken but you could use vegetable)
1 tin beans – barlotti/kidney/pinto, you choose!
1/4 tsp dried mixed herbs
splash of worcestershire sauce
salt and ground black pepper
tblsp rice
1 fresh chilli finely chopped, seeds removed (You can leave this out if you aren’t a chilli fan)
You can also stir in a spoosh of single cream if you fancy it.

  • Chop the tomatoes, peel and chop the potatoes and onions and chilli.
  • Throw them all into a pan and fry in butter until softened.
  • Add the beans, (I used kidney beans last time as I hadn’t anything else in the cupboard) herbs, stock, rice, worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
  • Simmer for 30 mins or until the veg is tender.
  • I like a bit of texture so I blend just over half the soup and return to the pan but you can blend it all if you prefer a smooth soup.
  • Stir in the cream now if you are using it and reheat.

Serve with crusty bread and butter and enjoy!!

 

Oven fried green tomatoes.Sliced green tomato

You can also use any yellow squash you have grown for this. 

8 tblsp cornmeal/polenta
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
small pinch of cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
3 med. green tomatoes, cut into 1/4″ slices
small amount of oil or Vegetable spray

  • Mix polenta, salt and pepper and cayenne in a shallow dish and set aside.
  • Beat egg with water
  • Dip tomatoes in egg mixture
  • Drop tomato into plate of cornmeal and spoon more mixture over top til covered.
  • Grease a baking tray with a little oil or spray if using spray.
  • Place tomatoes in a single layer in pan.
  • Bake in a hot oven (220 degrees) for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown, turning once.

They will be crispy on the outside and soft and velvety in the interior. I love mine as a snack with some garlic mayo but they are great as an accompaniment also.

Enjoy your cooking!!

 

Diva.x

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How to bake with Beetroots!

Sep 12

Posted by Gardening Diva in Recipes

beetroot2Ok, I know I posted my recipe for roasted beetroot a while ago, but following on the interesting post by Bea in Homegrown foods, I thought I would post a couple of sweet beetroot recipes. I promise you, you cannot taste the beetroot!

The first sounds odd but it has really great reviews, and let’s face it, ANY excuse to eat chocolate cake and tell ourselves it’s good for us has to be applauded!

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

  • 50 g cocoa powder
  • 180 g plain flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 225 g caster sugar
  • 300 g cooked fresh beetroot
  • 3 eggs
  • 200ml sunflower oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Heat the oven to 180 c. Butter and flour a 7 inch cake tin.

Sieve the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and then mix in the sugar.

Purée the beetroot in a food processor (at a pinch you could finely grate the beetroot). Add the eggs, one by one, and then add the oil and vanilla extract and beat together until smooth.

Make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the beetroot mixture into it. Lightly fold in until just mixed and then pour into the prepared cake tin.

Bake for around 40 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. This cake won’t rise much but don’t panic, it isn’t supposed to and the top will probably crack a little.

Allow to cool a little before removing from the tin, then leave to cool on a wire rack.beetroot1

Beetroot cake (swap carrots for beetroot and it works as a carrot cake too!)

  • 1¼lb self-raising flour
  • 5 tsp baking powder
  • 10 oz soft brown sugar
  • 8oz sultanas
  • 1 lb beetroot, peeled and grated
  • 375 ml vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 5 medium-sized eggs
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Heat the oven to 180 c. Grease and line a loose based cake tin with greaseproof paper.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and soft brown sugar in a large bowl and then add the sultanas and grated beetroot.

In a seperate bowl beat the oil and eggs together and then add to the beetroot mixture. Mix together with a wooden spoon (unless you are lucky enough to have a swizzy electric gadget to do it, in which case – go for it!)

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 60 mins. Try the knife trick at about 50 mins and if it pulls out clean then it is done.

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Strawberry and Blackberry Jam (Cheat’s version)

Sep 4

Posted by CYeoh in Recipes

Strawberry and Blackberry Jam

I made Jam at the weekend :)

I am lazy.

To follow recipe for Strawberry and Blackberry Jam (Cheat’s / Lazy version)

Ingredients

About 500g of Strawberries

About 500g of  Blackberries

1kg bag of Silver spoon Jam -Sugar (which has pectin in it)

4 glass jars (I used pasta sauce jars)

Basin of nearly boiling water

Method

1.  Submerge thoroughly cleaned jars in basin and leave to sterilise. (Someone told me sticking them in hottest cycle in dishwasher is just as effective).

2. Hull strawberries and mash up (in half-hearted manner) with Blackberries.  ( Do I have to tell you to wash them thoroughly?)

3. Pour fruit in large pot and heat with a knob of butter.  (Pour carefully – so you don’t splash any on your white top… )

4. When bubbling, add in the sugar and stir. (Try not to eat it)

5. Leave for about half hour stirring occasionally and remove jars (carefully) from basin.  (I used my BBQ tongs)

6.  Skim off the frothy stuff on the top and pour jam into jars (you can do the wax sealing thing at this point if you want – I didn’t have any) and LOOSELY put top on.  (Was slightly concerned about glass jars exploding all over my kitchen – so put them outside for a bit… they didn’t)

7.  Tighten up tops before they cool completely.  Admire your jam jars and generally feel pleased with self.

8.  I recommend your jam and butter cream slathered on digestives with a cup of tea.

nb:  The smell is just wonderful and something to behold.  Highly recommended activity for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

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Garlic cabbage/Chinese cabbage

Sep 1

Posted by Gardening Diva in Recipes

A couple of ways of using your home grown cabbages and garlic!

Savoy cabbageMy mother cooks cabbage like this a lot and it is so delicious. This is my version.

 

Garlic Cabbage

1 tbsp sunflower oil
50g butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large savoy cabbage, (take off outer leaves, remove core and shred the rest)
2 tbsp water
salt and black pepper

My mother also adds half a chopped onion too. Tastes good with or without.

 

  •  Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan.
  • Add the garlic (and onion if you are using it) and heat for 20 seconds. Do not allow the garlic to fry or burn! Add the cabbage and 2 tablespoons water and stir well, coating the cabbage with the oil and butter.
  • Season to taste, cover and cook over a medium heat for around 10 minutes, stirring now and then until wilted and tender. We like ours to have a bit of a bite so cook it for a shorter time but my mother serves it very tender. Both ways are nice!

Chinese Cabbage

1lb white or green cabbage thinly sliced or shreddedsWhite cabbage
Butter or oil for frying
Juice of half a lemon
Black pepper to taste
1/4 pint hot chicken stock (I just use about half a chicken stock cube in some boiling water)
Splash (or glug!) of Soy Sauce

 

  • Melt butter, put in cabbage, lemon juice, black pepper and soy sauce and fry while stirring for a couple of minutes. (Salt is not needed as the soy sauce is salty)
  • Add just enough stock to cover and simmer for 7 or 8 minutes, or until cabbage is just tender.
  • Do not overcook.

If you are a vegetarian, then just swap the chicken stock cube for a veggie one.

I have to say this tastes good even if you don’t have it with a chinese meal! Try it with pork chops or a nice steak!

Diva.x

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Runner bean chutney

Aug 31

Posted by Dawn in Recipes

Here’s an idea for surplus runner beans, haven’t tried it yet but has been recommended.

2lb Beans (After destringing !!)
1 1/2 lbs onions (chopped up)
2 tablespoons of cornflour
1 1/2 pints of vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons of turmeric
2lb Demerara Sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard.
 
Method – Cook the beans. Boil onions in 1/2pt vinegar until tender. Add the rest of the
vinegar and beans.  Boil for fifteen minutes more and then add the rest of the ingredients and boil for further ten minutes.  Cool pot up and seal.

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Stuffed Marrow

Aug 29

Posted by Gardening Diva in Recipes

For those of us with too many marrows – try this! It could also be done with Marrowscooped out large courgettes I guess, and if you fancy a little meat in it, just grill some bacon and throw into the mix!

Stuffed Marrow

1 short thick marrow, about 2lbs

2oz butter

1 onion, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

half a grated carrot

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

1 chilli – seeds removed – chopped finely

1 pinch of mixed herbs or fresh herbs to taste

2 oz fresh breadcrumbs

2 oz mature Cheddar, finely grated

salt and black pepper

  • Heat the oven up to 190 degrees (gas 5) and cut the marrow into 8 fat rings. Peel if the skin seems a little tough. Then scoop out the seeds. Lay the rings of marrow in a large oven proof dish.
  • Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the chopped onion, carrot and celery for approx 5 minutes until soft and then add the garlic and chilli and cook for a futher minute.
  • Stir in the chopped tomatoes and season with a little salt and plenty of ground black pepper. Add the mixed dried herbs now and then bring to the boil and then simmer uncovered for approx 10 minutes or so until the mixture is thick and pulpy.
  • Lightly season the marrow rings with salt and pepper and then spoon the tomato sauce mixture into the middle of the marrow rings. If you have any leftover tomato mix then just fill the gaps between the marrow rings with it.
  • Tightly cover the dish with foil so that the marrow will cook in the steam, then bake for 30 minutes.
  • While it is cooking, mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together. After 30 mins, remove the foil and sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the marrow rings. If using fresh herbs, sprinkle over now.
  • Return to the oven and bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes or until the topping is golden and crisp and the marrow is tender and juicy. Serve hot with lots of crusty bread for mopping up the juices! Enjoy!

Diva.x

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