Sweet chilli jam

Chillies. So easy to grow, but how many can you really consume? Enter recipes which stretch the harvest further into the season, chillies won't be growing. But you'll still have that wonderful, chilli sensation, awaiting in your pantry for when you need it.

At the sourdough workshop I'm planning, for the Toowoomba Simple Living Group, I wanted to bake a savoury loaf, reminiscent of my days as a bakery assistant. It used a chilli paste, so I went looking for a suitable recipe.

Thai chilli - also known as, Bird's eye chilli

I happened to have chillies growing in the garden, so it was perfect. These were hot chillies though, and I was a tad worried the TEN required, might be too hot! But what my chillies packed in punched, they lacked in size - which made 10 just perfect. So bear in mind, the larger the chilli, the less hot they tend to be. But you get more chilli, so it seems to work out in the end - big or small, 10 chillies, always works.

If you're not a fan of spicy foods (especially using hot chillies), knock it back to 8, and see if that's the right amount for your taste buds.

Capsicum and chillies

What this recipe calls for, which I didn't have growing in my garden though, are capsicums ("peppers", in US lingo). I imagine this a perfect condiment recipe, for those bumper crops in the garden - because it really doesn't require many different ingredients, to make a truly versatile jam.

I'm working on growing capsicums this year, so hopefully my next batch of jam, will be straight from the garden.

Before cooking

This jam doesn't use pectin to thicken it, rather caramelisation and reduction. So you'll start with a full pot of jam, and after boiling for roughly 1.5 hours, you'll end up with half of what you started with...

Finished cooking

How fast you boil, depends how long it cooks for. So it can range from 1-2 hours. It's the end bit you have to concentrate on - when it starts to thicken, and you don't want it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

I think I ended up with roughly, 2 litres of jam at the end. But remember, it packs a lot of punch, in such a small jar, so it goes a long way. I like to eat my chilli jam with fried eggs, and the like...

 Eat as a condiment

It really jazzes up the flavour of foods, which struggle to be noticed, like egg and avocado. David even had it on sourdough pancakes for breakfast, which were a little too sour, to go with a sweet berry jam or honey. But the chilli jam, made it work!

Fast, tasty, food

Cold, roast veggies, from the night before, are delightful with chilli jam too! This is on a roasted parsnip, and tasted great on the roasted swedes as well. This is the ultimate, convenience food and uses up leftovers in short order. No heating necessary. Just remove from the fridge and apply the jam.

So onto the recipe - I got my inspiration from here. As I've had links break in the past though, I'll write it down on my blog, for back-up.

Sweet Chilli Jam

Remember to remove the white pitch inside, as it can taste bitter

• 8 red peppers, deseeded, and roughly chopped (I removed pith as well)
• 10 red chillies, roughly chopped (mine were small enough to use whole)
• finger-sized piece fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 400g can cherry tomatoes (I used fresh, but recipe lists canned)
• 750g golden caster sugar
• 250ml red wine vinegar

1. Tip the peppers, chillies (with seeds), ginger and garlic into a food processor, then whiz until very finely chopped. (I added my fresh tomatoes to the processor as this stage, but avoid if using canned) Scrape into a heavy-bottomed pan with the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar, then bring everything to the boil. Skim off any scum that comes to the surface, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 50 mins, stirring occasionally.

(My notes: how fast you boil will determine how long you cook for. Follow instruction two, for more guidance on when the jam is done.)

2. Once the jam is becoming sticky, continue cooking for 10-15 mins more, stirring frequently so that it doesn’t catch and burn. It should now look like thick, bubbling lava. Cool slightly, transfer to sterilised jars, then leave to cool completely. Keeps for 3 months in a cool, dark cupboard – refrigerate once opened.

The recipe doesn't call for using a water bath method, in order to store in a cupboard for 3 months. I tend to err on the side of caution, so boiled mine in a water bath for 10 minutes. Enjoy your sweet chilli jam!