Thursday 19 March 2015

Chilli Jam Making.

I've been wanting to try this recipe out ever since I saw it on a Nigella Lawson special but no matter how many times I watched Nigella throw this jam together I had convinced myself it was going to be an epic task that I would easily mess up until the other weekend when I decided to just go for it. 
If it's a failure then at least I could say I tried right! 


I sterilised my kilner jar by sitting on a sheet of newspaper in the cooker (preheated to 140 degrees), it takes about 10minutes or so. To sterilise the seal I just popped it into my smallest pan and pour boiling hot water over it and left it there until the jar was done. 

With that done I started on the fun part, the jam making!

The recipe on nigella.com makes 1.5 litres of jam but I decided to make just a 500ml as I only had 1 kilner jar available to use. I also juggled the pepper & chilli quantities just alittle (little Miss K isn't so keen on spicy foods). 

Nigella's Chilli Jam Ingredients

70g Sweet Pointed Peppers & Mixed Mini Peppers
30g Mixed Red Chillies
200ml Cider Vinegar
333g Jam Sugar 

I simply deseed the pepper and chillies, chucked them into my mini food processor and pulsed them until they were finely chopped (my poor old processor looked like it had committed a murder or two).

Next I grabbed my biggest pan, added the vinegar and poured in the sugar, and popped it over a low heat to left it to dissolve for a minute or three without stirring. 

Once dissolved I added the fiery looking chopped pepper and chilli mix into the mixture, turned up the heat till it started boiling and the left it at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. 

At this point I realised just how badly Cider vinegar stinks and was forced to open every window downstairs.

After the 10 minute countdown was over I just left the fiery looking mixture to cool and set. This took about 10 minutes and then I scooped the very jelly like mixture up and into the waiting jar, after alittle tasting of course!


The Verdict

I'm going to be totally honest and admit I think I boiled it for too long as the jelly isn't as runny as it should but it's actually pretty well set just like dessert jelly should be in fact, but its still pretty damn tasting. Also the vinegar stink lingered for days even with multiple windows open and Yankee candles lit, which basically makes this an unmakeable in the winter months as I can't stand the smell. However, I can see myself making it again in the summer hols once this pot is licked clean.

x B x 




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