As requested - hot sweet chilli jelly

[Mrs Ava]

This recipe was posted on the recipes4all site, so have copied and pasted.  As you can see, I invented it as I went along.  I over did the chillis really as it really really really is so powerful, couldn't use as a dipping sauce as not only is it way to hot, but it also set magnificently!  Less lemons would make a softer jelly maybe.  Has a great colour, and really does add a great flavour to spicey sweet and sour, con carne and other tomato based dishes.  ;D


Apples, as many as you like!
Chillies, as many as you like!
couple of lemons

Chop up the apple and the lemon and throw in a big saucepan.  Chop your chillies.  I used my little whizzer/chopper thing so I didn't end up with burning hands.  I used about 12 chillies, all different, seeds and all!  Place them in the pan and pour in just enough water to cover the fruits.  Cook slowely for about an hour.  Pour through a seive and allow to drip all night.  If you want a clear-ish jelly then don't push the pulp through the seive, but I wanted something with a bit of structure, so shoved as much as I could through the seive.  By now I have a lovely pinkish orange mix.  This is where I am currently at. 

To continue, I have a selection of fresh chillies which I will deseed and chop finely and place them into the mix and cook for about 15 minutes so they soften slightly.  I plan to measure the liquid and for every pint add a pound of sugar.  Heat slowely until the sugar is dissolved and then cook rapidly until setting point is reached.  Bottle in sterilised jars.

The plan is to use this as a dipping type sauce for things like spring rolls, so it will probably need warming just slightly to soften it.  Anyhow, bit of an experiment to use up some more apples and the absolute abundance of chillies I have!   

[Mrs Ava]

[NattyEm]

So for 12 chillies how many apples was that?

I think my husband would be in heaven with chilli jelly :)

[Mrs Ava]

aaaghhhh Em, I have no idea.  It really was an experiment - it would have been a big bowl full because it is the apples that make the bulk and I did get a few good jars of the jelly, so yes, in my expert opinion......I would say a big collander full - I had an abundance of apples at the back end of last summer thanks to my 2 fully laden trees on the plot, two generous allotmenteers and the inlaws newly acquired orchard!

[NattyEm]

That is aproxamate enough for me, Just thinking small bowl/bigbowl/mega saucepan full!  So big collander full is great!  I just have to remember when apple season comes around now!

[RobandAlly]

I love chilli sauce and have a recipe to go with it ;)

Deep fried battered Broccoli florets.... mmmm

Plain flour
Bottle of chilled lager

equal amounts of flour to beer... best to do this by the cup but make sure you don't froth the lager or it will be too thick. mix in a bowl then add the florets until all are coated and not swimming in batter. Deep fry for 5-10 mins until crispy golden brown. serve with small bowls (egg cups will do) of chilli dipping sauce and another with dark or light soy sauce which ever you prefer

[oubykh]

thanks for posting this, :)

apples - eaters or cookers?

lemon - do you throw it in with skin on or off?

cheers

[Mrs Ava]

Apples, it would have been both - I eat cookers I'm afraid, and was given a mixture of both.

Lemons, I hack them up, skin, pips, the lot, and bung them in.  I did the lemons to help with the set, but you know, I wouldn't be at all suprised if you didn't need a lemon as the apples seem to create a wonderful set all on their own!

MIND THE SPICY STEAM!!!  Filled my kitchen up with a lovely rich spicy eye watering steam!!

[Black Forest Dan]

Emma Jane, did you peel and core the apples or did you do the same as with the lemons, just chop them up pips and all?

Your recipe sounds wicked! I'm going to make some tonight...

[Mrs Ava]

Funnily enough Dan, I am midway through cooking the apples now for yet another batch of chilli jelly! (Plus rosemary jelly and mint jelly!!  Kitchen looks like a herd of apple flavoured elephants have charged through!)

I chop the apples roughly, skin, pips, stalks and all!  The pectin, so I have recently learnt, is in the skin and pips, so you need them to achieve a nice set.  I am aiming for a clear jelly this time, so am not pushing it through the seive but allowing it to drip through a muslin bag.

Have fun, and don't get burnt! :o

[Black Forest Dan]

It's busy dripping (pips and peel and all...) I'll have to buy some jars tomorrow before I add the sugar. Looking forward to it!

Thanks.

[Maddy]

I have a plethora of chillis so I'm going to do this tomorrow and add it to the Christmas hampers I'll be making up.  Thanks EJ.

[moonbells]

Thanks from me too - dunno why I didn't search the archives for a recipe before I tried to do some! (Cos I'm a twit, probably)

Now will the censor get that? :)

moonbells

[Jessie]

I made some chilli jelly a few weeks back following EJ's recipe, fantastic! I used mild chillies so added lots, it's resulted in a lovely flavour and not too hot, will be fantastic as a dipping sauce for spring rolls and such like. :)

[Mrs Ava]

Glad you all like it.  I have just finished another marathon 'jelly' session.  Boiled down a vat of apples and after double draining it, ended up with 8pints of juice!  Now have 4 large jars of chilli jelly, 4 large jars mint jelly, 3 large jars rosemary jelly and 3 jars apple and elderberry jelly.

I only have pickle jars left now so that will be the end of my jamming this season!  Fruits will all have to go into the freezer until we use up some of the store cupboard...which has now swelled to filling the top shelves in 3 of my cuboards!

[moonbells]

:)

I know what you mean about storage EJ. I've resorted to putting jars in the garage, which is in an unheated separate block dug into the hillside, so is a really good place to store food.  I've an old chest of drawers at the back which is perfect for putting canned and bottled food in and still being able to get to it.

I've got a few jam jars left but have run out of blackberries so no more Bramble Jelly this year.  Autumn rasps are still going strong though, and so I'm hoping more rasp jam will appear.  And given I've now got eight marrows, there's def going to be more marrow and ginger!!!

Wish it had power though as I could do with a freezer in there!

moonbells

[kentishchloe]

ooooh, chilli jelly sounds awesome - now i know what to do with my huuuuuge chilli glut - ta EJ

[Delilah]

I ve not made jelly before but like the sound of rosemary jelly could you post the recipe please EJ 

[Black Forest Dan]

I was up until nearly midnight yesterday making 11 jars of hot sweet chilli jelly; very successful, though I had to add some more sugar (probably had too much water at first). It set very nicely and is a lovely orange colour, just like you said EJ.

Emma Jane, did you keep any long enough to find out how long it actually keeps?

[Mrs Ava]

Dan, I have 1 lonely jar left from last year that I found at the back of the larder, and it looks pretty good to me!  Don't know how it slipped through the net really....I guess chutneys became mature and we started eating them!

Delilah, the rosemary jelly was made the same way as the chilli jelly, but I picked a big bunch of rosemary, deleafed the stems, chopped the leaves finely, and through them into the boiling apple and sugar mix.  Boiled furiously until it reached setting point, and bottled.  Amazingly strong scent, and a perfumed flavour.  You could poke a sprig of rosemary into the jelly before sealing if you desired.  And if you don't fancy the tiny shreds of rosemary leaves in the finished jelly, you could pass it through a seive before bottling.  I reakon it is going to be pretty good as a glaze on a leg of lamb!

[Delilah]

Thanx for that EJ hope to make some this weekend - might have to send out begging messages to friends and family for jars, not sure that i ve any left.

This is the first year i ve made jam or chutney so hadn't got a huge supply of jars to start with!

I ve managed rhubarb jam, apple chutney, green tomato chutney and beetroot chutney also pickled some onions and red cabbage - am quite amazed really coz i ve never done much cooking til this year! OH and kids think its wonderful to have home baking and meals prepared from scratch.  Long may it last!!!!!!