Chilli Up North Blog

This is a recipe from Nigel Slater’s Real Cooking, I love it, it’s simple and really tasty although I like to add some sliced onion and mushrooms along with a few sliced peppers along with using the lower fat double cream.

I do have a photo somewhere but can’t find it so will have to make it again soon and take a photo!

Ingredients to serve 2

• 4 spicy sausages
• 4 handfuls of dried pasta
• a glass of white wine
• dried chilli flakes (a pinch or two)
• small handful of chopped basil
• tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 200ml double cream

Method

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.
2. Split the sausages open and remove the filling, discard the skins.
3. Warm a little olive oil in a frying pan, crumble in the sausage, fry till cooked through (if using the veg I mentioned above add them here)
4. Add the pasta to the pan of boiling water along with a little bit of salt,
5. Pour the wine into the sausage pan and let it bubble,  scrape the sausage goo stuck to the bottom of the pan as it’s full of flavour.
6. Stir in the chilli and chopped basil
7. Add a little salt and the mustard, followed by the cream, bring to a simmer and cook for a minute or two, stirring now and again.
8. When the paster is done drain and tip into the sauce, mix well and serve.

I’m a huge fan of Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, it’s the perfect hangover cure (especially when topped with some crispy smoked bacon) it’s just a shame that not many places serve it on the breakfast, so on our recent trip to Cornwall I was delighted to see that Stein’s Cafe in Padstow had it on the menu, even more delighted to hear it was included in our Bed and Breakfast as their kitchen was out of action so were treating everyone to breakfast at Stein’s  Cafe.

You can fry the eggs seperately or add them to the tomato mixture, I quite like adding to the mixture as it means less washing up.

The picture on the right is of my breakfast at Stein’s but the recipe below is one of my favourites.

Serves 1 hungry hungover person.

Ingredients

• 1 2oog tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 small red onion.
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 chilli, finely sliced or chopped
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2  large fresh free range eggs
• 2 flour tortillas
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce.
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Few sprigs of fresh coriander, sliced
• 2 slices cooked crispy smoked bacon (optional)
• Olive oil

Method

1. Heat your frying pan, fry the tortillas in the dry pan until they are slightly crispy and start to brown. Remove from pan.
2. Add a splash of olive oil followed by the garlic, onion and chilli, fry gently until soft. Add the Tabasco and the herbs, stir well.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. If you aren’t frying your eggs seperately then make 2 wells in the tomato and break an egg into each one, cook until the eggs are done to your liking.
5. Place the tortillas on a plate and top with the eggs and tomato (and the bacon if you are using it), add another dash of Tabasco and enjoy.

When I spotted the Heinz cream of tomato soup with a twist of chilli I had to buy it.  When I was tipping some of the soup into a pan I noticed  a recipe on the back of the tin, so I kept half of the soup and decided to give the recipe a go, of course I couldn’t resist adding a few more ingredients.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 tin Heinz cream of Tomato soup with a hint of chilli
• 100g of dried pasta
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced
• 1/2 yellow, sliced
• 3 slices smoked bacon, chopped
• 5 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced,
• Parmesan, grated
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Pepper
• 1 tsp oregano

Method

1. Place a pan of water on the stove and cook your pasta according to the instructions.
2. Heat a frying pan and add a little olive oil then add the bacon, fry until crispy.
3. Add the vegetables followed by the chilli flakes and oregano, fry until vegetables are nearly cooked.
4. Tip in the soup and a splash of cooking water from the pasta.
5. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce.
6. Season with Pepper and serve with a topping of parmesan.

Hot but packed pull of flavour

Seeing Mr Vikki’s Queen Naga Pickle on Sunday Brunch last week reminded me I still had a jar of his King Naga in the fridge so I grabbed a couple of crackers (and a little bit of extra mature cheddar) and decided to finish it off.

As you will know from previous posts I’m a huge fan of Mr Vikki’s not only do they make some fantastic hot stuff everything I’ve tried has been packed full of flavour.

King Naga was no exception. It’s blindingly hot, not straight away but after a few seconds it really does explode.  The more you eat the hotter it gets, luckily it doesn’t last too long.

But unlike so many other pickles/sauces/chutney’s that are this hot it’s not all about the heat, there’s lovely layers of spices, giving it a lovely Indian feel, this is then followed with a lovely aniseed undertone that not only adds a touch of sweetness it really compliments the other spices and gives it a lovely lingering after-taste that works perfectly with cheese.

The texture is great, its not too thick, there’s a fair bit of oil on the top which i usually mix in but I also quite like using what’s left for frying veg in for stir fries.

If you want to give it a go you can buy it for £3.50 from here (while you are their I suggest you order some of the chilli jam and ranch sauce too.

I made this a few weeks ago, it was really quick and really tasty. It serves too but can easily be scaled up for more, you can add more heat by using more chilli if you like. It might also be quite nice with a squeeze of lemon juice in.

Tastes better than it looks.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• handful of chestnut mushrooms, chopped into chunks
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cardamom pods, crushed.
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 1 tsp chilli powder.
• small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• 1ooml chicken stock
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped.
• 1/2 bag of washed spinach
• Thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
• Olive oil
• Rice + Chappati or Naan to serve with.

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little oil until it’s soft,
2. Add the spices (apart from the fresh coriander) and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, fry for a couple more minutes.
4. Add the spinach and chicken stock, simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Tip the contents of the pan into a blender, blend.
6. Fry the chicken in a little more oil for 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and fry until cooked.
7. Add the contents of the blender to the pan and cook until the sauce has warmed up again. Just before serving add the fresh coriander and stir.
8. Serve with rice and choice of bread.

I’ve done meatballs and cous cous before, but these meatballs are a bit different although the cous cous is the same and you can read the recipes here and here (you could also make the bread while your at it as it will go perfect with the meatballs)

You could add some breadcrumbs, crushed up crackers and an egg to help bind the meatballs if you struggle to get them to stick together.

Ideally the meatballs need to be chilled for at least 30minutes before using.

This serves 2 people but you could make more and freeze the meatballs.

Ingredients

• 200g lamb mince
• 1 tsp harissa
• 1/2 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• juice of half a lemon
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander

For the sauce

• 2 tsp harissa
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp greek yoghurt
• squeeze of honey
• few sprigs of mint
• 1/2 red onion, finely sliced.

To serve

• Cous cous and bread from here (both can be made well in advance so this just concentrates on the meatballs.)

Method

1. Mix the harissa, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, cumin, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper together.
2. Place the lamb in a bowl along with the chopped mint and a dash of olive oil.
3. Add the harissa mix and then gently mix with the lamb using your hands.
4. Form into 6 golf ball sized meatballs, place on a plate, cover with cling film and chill for at least 30minutes.
5. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees C.
6. Heat a frying pan on the stove, add a dash of olive oil and fry the meatballs for 8 minutes, turning regularly so they  crisp up and brown on all sides.
7. Transfer the meatballs to baking tray and place in the oven while you make the sauce.
8. Drain a some of the fat from the pan and discard.
9. Fry the onion in the remaining fat until softened
10. Add the harissa and tomato purée and fry for 2 minutes.
11. Now add a squeeze of honey, the chopped mint and the yoghurt, stir well.
12. Remove the meatballs from the oven, serve with the cous cous, sauce and bread. Enjoy!

A north east food festival being planned for this summer is guaranteeing one thing that the event will definitely be is hot!

The inaugural North East Chill Festival will be held in the historic grounds of Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland on Saturday, 7 and Sunday, 8 July with a host of the UK’s top chilli producers.

The event organised by Northumberland-based Hot Stuff Chilli, award-winning Newcastle-based deli mmm… and National Trust is set to offer chilli fans the opportunity to taste some of the world’s hottest food – if they dare.

With a host of the UK’s most respected producers already signed up for the event, north east ‘chilli heads’ will be able to taste chillies, including the world’s current hottest specimen, the Trinidad ‘Moruga Scorpion’.

And organisers are also telling non-chilli lovers the event will be a lot more than just heat – with a host of music, strolling bands, children’s activities, an international food marquee, picnic areas, history, walks, games and more.

Tickets for the event are now on sale – with an initial 2-for-1 and children go free deals being offered via the event’s website atwww.chillifest-ne.co.uk and at mmm… in Newcastle’s Grainger Market.

Mark Deakin, owner of Hot Stuff Chilli, sees the event as something to truly put the north east on the UK chilli map.

He said: “Chilli festivals are held all over the UK, attracting thousands of visitors, and for a long time the north east has been missing out.

“There is a host of producers of award-winning spicy food in the region and we want to bring them together with the UK’s finest in a superb venue for what we think will be a regular family event for the region.”

Simone Clarkin, owner of mmm…, is a keen supporter of small food producers, and works with over 100 producers from across the UK.

Chillifest North East Launch

She said: “We are constantly amazed at the variety of great handmade food being made in the region and across the UK.

“We are on a mission to get people to really appreciate the time, effort and care these producers put into their food – and really taste the difference.

“This event is a great opportunity to promote the region’s producers of spicy foods and show they sit firmly alongside the UK’s best.”

Alison Forbes, Events Coordinator for National Trust, was delighted organisers saw the almost 300 year old hall as the ideal location for the inaugural festival.

“National Trust is always looking for ways to attract new visitors to historic properties like Seaton Delaval Hall, and we look forward to welcoming thousands of people from the north east and beyond to the hall this July.

“The backdrop for the festival is superb and we can promise a great weekend, with more than just hot chillies on the menu for anyone coming to the event.”

Cllr George Todd, chairman of Northumberland County Council, said: “The plans look really exciting and I’m sure the festival will bring in the crowds.

“This is a fantastic venue that is really becoming a part of the community and we wish the organisers every success.

“Events like this help bring more people into Northumberland to sample for themselves everything we have to offer.”

The North East Chilli Festival will be held on Saturday, 7 and Sunday, 8 July at Seaton Delaval Hall, The Avenue, Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, NE26 4QR.

For ticket offers, news, opening times, travel details and exhibitor details visit www.chillifest-ne.co.uk

Social media users can also follow @chillifest_ne on Twitter or www.facebook.com/northeastchillifest on Facebook.

For more information call:

• Ian Clarkin on 07966 162907 or e-mail ian@chillifest-ne.co.uk
• Simone Clarkin on 07801 357314 or e-mail simone@mmm-food.co.uk
• Mark Deakin on 07904 187644 or e-mail info@hotstuffchillicompany.co.uk
• Alison Forbes on 0191 2379100 or e-mail Alison.Forbes@nationaltrust.org.uk

I love chicken tempura and I’ve previously blogged  a recipe for it here, this one is a spiced up version of a recipe I found online, The chicken was light and crispy and the sauce was fresh and tangy!!

It either requires a deep fryer or a bottle of vegetable oil and a deep pan (please be careful)

If you don’t like chicken the batter would work great on some vegetables and you could always use the sauce as  dipping sauce.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2oog self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• really cold fizzy water
• 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced.
• plain flour for dusting.
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced
• 4 small bis of broccoli
• 5 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 courgette cut into batons
• 1 carrot cut into batons
• small handful of mangetout
• 4 baby sweetcorn, chopped
• pinch of chilli plan.
• rice or noodles to serve with.
• olive oil or sesame oil

For the sauce

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 orange, juice only
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• handful fresh coriander
• 1 lime, juice only
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Method

1. Heat your fryer or oil up to 180 degees.
2. Put the flour and baking powder into large bowl and gradually add the sparkling water mixing well until you get the consistency of double cream, add a pinch of salt, a little bit of pepper and a pinch of chilli powder. Set aside.
3. Add some plain flour to a bowl, season with salt and pepper then coat the chicken slices in it.
4. Heat a splash of or sesame oil in a wok or frying pan, and stir fry the vegetables for a minute, add the sauce ingredients and stir well.
5. Dip the chicken into the fryer and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
6. Remove the chicken and drain on some kitchen paper.
7. Remove the vegetables from the wok
8. Serve with rice and the stir fried veg.

Fresh from the oven

I got the Hairy Bikers Perfect Pie Book way back when it came out and I’ve cooked a fair bit out of it so far and even combined a couple of the recipes to make a different version but one of the ones I’d really been looking forward to trying  was the Chilli Beef Pies, mainly because the crust was a mix of Parmesan and Polenta and i’ve never cooked with Polenta before. I was also looking forward to seeing how the filling tasted as at first the ingredients looked a little on the boring side.

They turned out really well and the Polenta gave a nice crunch to the pastry and in all honesty the filling was pretty delicious although I’d have possibly liked a bit more depth and maybe some Kidney Beans, which weren’t in the recipe but seemed to be in the picture in the book.  The only issue I had was preventing the pastry from breaking up when trying to form the pies so go carefully when trying to wrap the pastry round the filling.

The recipe makes 8 pies, I cooked 4 and froze 4, I’ve not cooked the frozen ones yet but the cooked ones did taste great the next day too. Having said that I’d quite like to try them with a modified version of my chilli con carne recipe and see which came out on top

Ingredients

• 500g Lean minced beef
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  

  Pie opened up

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 100ml red wine
• 300ml of beef stock
• 40g pickled green Jalapeños, sliced
• 2 tbsp quick cook polenta
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
• salt
• pepper

• 100g plain flour
• 200g quick cook polenta
• 150g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 75ml just boiled water
• 50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 egg beaten.

Method

1. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes, adding the garlic for the final minute. add the mince to the pan, breaking up any big chunks with a wooden spoon. Fry over a medium heat for 5 mins stirring regularly.
2. Sprinkle with Paprika and cook for a further minute.
3. 

   The photo from the book with what looks like a kidney bean

   Tip the tomatoes, red wine, sock and Jalapeños to the pan, stir well, season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and simmer for 25minutes, add 2 tablespoons of polenta and stir until the mix thickens. Remove from the heat and add the chopped coriander. Leave to cool

4. To make the pastry, put the flour and polenta in a large bowl, rub in the butter until the mix resembles breadcrumbs
5. Add the just boiled water and mix with a wooden spoon until the mix comes together, leave to cool for a few minutes then wrap the mix in cling film and place in the fridge for an hour.
6. Remove from the fridge and knead in the Parmesan
7. Pre heat your oven to 200 degrees c.
8. Divide the dough into 8 balls, then on a well floured worktop roll each ball out into a 16cm round.
9. Divide the filling between the 8 discs, leaving a 2cm gap around the edge of each disc.
10. Now brush the lip of the discs with the beaten egg and carefully bring the edges up to cover the filling, pinch together to make a small parcel.
11. Brush the completed parcels with beaten egg.
12. Place the pies on some baking paper and cook in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Back in August while at the pub after the Great British Beer Festival Matt from the Evening Star pub in Brighton very kindly brought me a present from his local purveyor of crazy chilli products, Chilli Pepper Pete. I’ve had a few of Pete’s sauces before and was pretty impressed so I had to give the vindaloo mix a go there and then.

Deceptively dangerous..

So we ripped open the silver foil bag and tucked in, there was a nice crunch from the mix, plenty of spices and a nice sweetness from the nuts, but then the heat from the Naga powder really kicks in and you start to wish you’d not eaten a small handful. The burn is pretty intense, it made a stifling hot day in London even hotter and more unbearable. It took a long while for the burn to die down but once it did there was part of me that just wanted some more, It’s stupidly addictive and tasty despite the pain.

It wasn’t long before the packet was being passed around the pub, as word spread more and more people wanted to test their metal against the Vindaloo Mix, needless to say  soon after people were in tears, sweating and swearing profusely and running to the shop across the street for a pint of milk. Generally despite the pain I think it was a big hit, with some pub goers handling it considerably better than others.

In hindsight this probably wasn’t a wise thing, at the time I was drinking Magic Rock Human Cannonball, for those of you not familiar with it its a big hoppy brute of a beer, and hops really do intensify chilli when mixed together.

One tip is to remember not to rub your eye after picking up the mix, that really doesn’t help either….I swear I couldn’t see straight for a couple of hours but that could have been the beer.

If you want to give it a go then you can buy some from Chilli Pepper Pete’s website here. It’s £2 for 100g