Tuesday 6 September 2011

Other things to do with chillies and peppers - end of season chutney.


We don't eat chillies, we grow them for their colour. There are other things to do with chillies rather than cook with them, they give instant colour to our cottage kitchen .


No good trying to peek through our kitchen window as I haven't found a place to put them yet.


There are some windows you just can't help look into.


Mark and Becca were at Soggibottom last weekend, we decided to go to Cockington Court to walk off a long lunch. 


The earliest part of this Manor House is Medieval, there has been a building here since the 10th century but the exact age of the Court is unknown. Most of the early construction is concealed by subsequent changes and alterations.
A sad looking ghost is said to haunt Cockington Court, thought to be Sir Henry Cary, a staunch Royalist during the Civil War who was knighted by Charles 1st.


 The war left him a ruined man. To pay fines imposed by Oliver Cromwell after the war, he was forced to sell his ancestral home.

No ghosts when we were there over the weekend, none that we could see at least. Cockington Court seems to have been taken over by a craft centre since our last visit.  A very interesting craft centre I add.


The grounds around the house are a dog walkers paradise. Especially good if the dog in question is a young pup that needs constant attention.


Well, most of the time she has constant attention.

I never gave a recipe on soggibottom's last post.for the tomato chutney I had made.
Thanks Miss Kodee  for reminding me.

This is a quick and easy way to use up all the unripened tomato's, use up a couple of stray onions, you can even add a few chillies or peppers. You can use red, yellow, green tomato's. In fact all that is left at the end of the season that will spoil if left sitting around.


2 lb. red or green  -  I mixed red, green and yellow tomato's.
8 oz  dark sugar, you can use white sugar if you prefer. .
A good teaspoon of dried ginger, or freshly grated ginger
!/2 pint of Malt (dark) vinegar
I teaspoon of pickling spice
1 rounded teaspoon of mustard powder
A couple of large finely chopped onions
2 Large cooking apples peeled and cored.
8 oz sultanas
1/2 teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper,  give your pepper grinder a real treat and use it for more than just a few turns.
A couple of de seeded chillies or red peppers.I wear gloves for this job.

Put the onion and peppers into a saucepan with 2 - 3 tablespoons of vinegar and simmer gently until soft.
Add the chopped apples, sliced tomatoes, spices, salt pepper, mustard, ginger and sultanas.
Simmer gently until all the mixture is quite soft, stirring from time to time.
Add the vinegar and the sugar.
When the sugar has dissolved boil steadily until the chutney is a thick consistency.
Put the hot chutney into warmed jars and seal down.

It's always best to use aluminum saucepans when making chutney.
Don't attempt to cut down on the quantity of sugar or vinegar in a chutney recipe as this is the preservative.
Don't put in all the vinegar at once, put in about 1/4 of the vinegar, then add the rest gradually during cooking.
Cook the chutney with the lid off the pan so it thickens, stir from time to time.
Use pure malt vinegar, white vinegar can be used for light coloured chutneys.
It's not advisable to put hot chutney straight into cold glass jars. Warm your jars first. 
Never put metal tops directly next to the chutney otherwise the vinegar in the chutney will spoil both taste and colour, it will also make the lid rust and be very difficult to remove. You can buy special pickling jars or instead put a round of waxed paper on to the chutney.

Store in a cool dry place, preferably in the dark to keep well.
 
If you never grew tomato's this year, it's never too late to get started on your vegetable patch for next year.


I know of a certain pup that is an expert at digging.


It might take a while to get her to distinguish between weeds and plants.


I'm sure she will get the hang of it eventually.

You can find more of Freya's antic's on her blog The Cat flap Cavalier

17 comments:

WoolenSails said...

Lots of beautiful places, you visited this week.
Love rocking horses, especially the old ones.
I see someone doesn't mind getting a little dirt on her paws, lol.

Debbie

Old Kitty said...

Awwwwwwwwwwww!! Sweet Freya peeking over the sofa is just tooooooo adorable!! Awww she's adorable!! Hello Freya! Big hugs!! Take care
x

Faye Henry said...

Thanks so much for the lovely recipe... I may try that tonight..
The dog is adoarable..
Blessings..

Remington said...

Awesome post! Love the wreath!

MyCretanlife said...

We grow chillis but we like to eat them. I have a few plants around here however they where late sown so they are still green yet but getting there fast. Freya looks like a bundle of mischief. What is she digging for? Is she searching for buried bones?

Lisa said...

Cool weekend out!! Glad the little one isn't into too much trouble yet!! I have been so bad at blogging I just found her blog!! I will visit on the weekend my holiday is over and have to be back to work tomorrow ;( but Molly has a new cut I have to pay for so off to work for me ;)
Hugs to all
Lisa & Molly
Ps Molly will not be told of the pups blog she'll want her own ;)

Christine said...

This was the first summer I didn't grow any hot peppers. I love that quaint little pepper wreath. Never thought about making one. Freya looks so cute digging in the dirt. Muffy loves a good dirt pile to dig in. Amanda posted some new pictures of her on her blog whenyoustumbledance.com chasing her ball.

Tweedles -- that's me said...

We love color too and nothing like colorful peppers to do it.

That little Freya, does look like a good little digger. Can she come help us?
love
tweedles

Caroline B said...

That wreath is wonderful!
Love the picture of Freya in stealth mode!

Sue said...

Tsar peeks over the sofa like that. I'll have to catch a picture. Freya looks so innocent after digging. Mine always look guilty.

Allie said...

What a festive wreath! Cockington Court looks like a lovely place to wander, especially with the ghost of poor Sir Henry. Love the pic of Freya peeping over the couch, lol. And doesn't she look innocent after her big dig!
I've never had chutney, you'll have to make me some if I ever get across the pond. Love and hugs to all the mob!

Beyond the Dog Dish said...

Oh my goodness - that chutney recipe looks tasty!! I have my work cut out and will have to let you know how it goes.

Wonderful photos and history - always fascinates me. LOL look at that little red head popping up behind the couch!!

Rouky said...

Hi! What a wonderful post! The wreath is so beautiful and such a great idea! We want one here!

Victoria said...

I can only handle very mild chiles, I'm not a big fan of overly hot things. The recipe does sound wonderful:) Look at that little pup digging in the garden, so cute!!!

We got back from North Carolina Thursday night. I sent you a postcard from there so hopefully it arrives safely:)

Myra said...

You have such interesting places to visit out there... Intriguing for sure! 8-)

Freya is such a cutie! 8-)

Houseelf said...

Hi Midge, looks like a lovely week at Soggibottom. Freya is coming along nicely.

Sorry been afk. Laura is now at uni and loving it!

Michele said...

I've tried the recipe, and it is just delicious, very flavorful, can't wait to actually have it with a meal...We had to open a cooled jar and try a bite...Yummmmooo! Thank you again, Midge, a real keeper of a recipe.