My Cocky, The Tattoo and Cooking With[out] Gas!

For Christmas my very generous Sis In Law gave all us girls tickets to go to last night's final performance of the 2010 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  In the 6 years I've lived in Edinburgh I've been fortunate enough to see the tattoo every year, apart from my first year when I was a poorly paid temp!  My Grandad, who is proudly known as Cocky in my family (its a long story but lets just say its all my big brother's fault!) was a Scot's Guard and an absolute giant of a man, if he hadn't been my Cocky he probably would of frightened the wits out of me!  Every year when the tattoo came on the TV at home we had to watch it, he asked questions later so there was no pretending you had lest he catch you out with a trick question!  He passed away about 10 years ago and I can honestly say that dealing with his 'departure' from my life was very difficult. 

Though he was born and bred in Cambuslang (you can just imagine his accent - I loved it!  And because i had grown up with his broad Scottish accent as a norm, I used to have to translate Taggart to all my friends at school!) I feel quite a connection with him now I also live in Scotland.  Visiting Edinburgh Castle is almost like visiting with him, that's were the Scot's Guard memorial is and know he would be fiercely proud of it.  And even though I hated watching the tattoo on TV every year as a kid, I will continue to make every effort to attend each year.  As much as I go in the memory of my Cocky, I also go because its actually really good fun, I actually enjoy it!  And in case you are wondering, I scream every bit as loud when they shout out for all the Aussies to make themselves known as I do for the Scots ;0)

Enough of the sentimental rantings (he would be most embarrassed!) and back to the reason for this post!  In the lead up to last night's performance we were all going to go out for dinner first and then wander up to the castle.  But being festival time the tables in restaurants are at a premium and as a general rule you pay over the odds for the food and drink even if you are willing to squeeze a meal in around the restaurants timetable.  So I offered to have a barbie.  Yep, you guessed it.  I got half way through cooking the barbie and the gas ran out.  Plan B was to fire up the range cooker and it all worked out in the end, Hubby and I will be feasting from the leftovers for the rest of the week.

Here is the menu;
Chicken with Chorizo and Mozzarella
Sausages
Chicken and Smoky Bacon Burgers
Gourmet Ranch Burgers (recipe follows)
Prawns with lime, chilli and coriander (recipe follows)
Mozzarella and Basil Bread
Sweetcorn with Smoked Paprika Butter (I actually managed to find sweetcorn with the husks still on!)
Mozzarella, Beetroot and Rocket Salad
I cheated and bought coleslaw and Miss SP made a very yummy potato for us all too!

And for dessert .....
Mark Hix's Iced Berries with Hot White Chocolate Sauce

Now ... here's the thing ... I forgot to take photo's of the food!  That's why there are photo's of the Tattoo on today's post instead ;0)

Gourmet Ranch Burgers
450g quality standard beef mince
1 small onion, peeled and grated
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely crushed
5ml English mustard (optional)
60ml BBQ sauce
1-2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil

In a bowl mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and freshly milled black pepper. Using slightly damp hands shape the mixture into 4 10cm burgers, then cover and chill for 30 mins.

Brush each burger with a little olive oil and BBQ for 6-8 mins on both sides until thoroughly cooked or juices are completely clear.

Serve in bread rolls with salads.

Serves 4
Olive July 07

Prawns with lime, chilli and coriander
24 (1kg) medium uncooked king prawns
2 limes, halved
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 bunch (350g) watercress (110g trimmed)
Chilli coriander dressing
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 long red chilli, seeded, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp finely chopped
Fresh coriander
Sea salt, to taste

To make the chilli coriander dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

Remove heads and legs from prawns, leaving tail and back shell intact. Split the prawns along the underside to open out flat, leaving shells on.

Cook lime halves on a heated, oiled grill plate (or grill or barbecue) until browned lightly; remove. Brush prawns with oil; cook prawns on same grill plate until browned and cooked through.

Serve prawns with watercress. Drizzle with Chilli Coriander Dressing and serve with limes.

Serves 4
The Australian Women's Weekly, Feb 07

No barbie is complete without ...

... 3 of my no-fail-prepare-ahead-BBQ-must-haves!

Being an Aussie I guess there is a certain affinity between myself and my beloved barbie.  When I visited the Webber stand at the Taste of Edinburgh early last month, they laughed when they found out I use my Webber even when there is snow on the ground!  Can't understand why, food cooked on the barbie tastes great no matter what the weather does ... and I guess living in the UK for the last 9 years has changed my perception of 'the perfect weather for a barbecue' too!

With 'summer' drawing to a close there is no better time to share some of our favourite BBQ 'condiments'.

BBQ Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
85g/3 oz brown sugar
3 tbsp malt vingar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree


Heat oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a gentle heat 4-5 mins, until softened. Add remaining ingredients, season and mix. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 mins until thickened. For a smooth sauce simply whiz the mixture in a food processor or with a hand blender for a few seconds.


Makes 450ml


Once you've got the basic sauce it can be used to spice up anything from ribs to burgers and beans;
Spicy Spare Ribs
Put 12 pork spare ribs in a large plastic bag and tip in one quarter of the BBQ sauce. Seal the bag and shake to coat the ribs in the sauce. Leave in the fridge overnight, then allow to come to room temp before BBQ’ing the next day.
Tangy Turkey Burgers
Add a chopped onion and a few tbsp of BBQ sauce to 450g turkey mince and shape into 4 large or 8 small burgers. Cook on the BBQ or under the grill, then serve in buns with sliced tomatoes and salad leaves.
Spiced up Beans
Stir a few tbsp of the BBQ sauce into your baked beans and serve with sausages and a fluffy jacket potato.


* Sauce keeps in fridge for 2 weeks

If you only make one of these recipes please let it be this one.  Even non Jack drinkers fall in love with it!


Bourbon-Basting Sauce
1 small onion, chopped
Oil for frying
200ml bourbon whiskey (Jack Daniel’s or Wild Turkey)
100g dark soft brown sugar
100ml tomato ketchup
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
16 pork spare ribs, about 2kg (although we use this sauce on everything but ribs!  Try chicken or even large field mushrooms, but our preferred way is on sausages)

Cook the onion in 2 tbsp oil in a large pan until very soft, about 10 mins. Add the remaining ingredients (except the pork) and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins, until the alcohol has evaporated. Put in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Set aside half the sauce.

Bourbon Basted Bangers

Season the ribs. BBQ over medium-hot coals for 10 mins each side. If the ribs have a reasonable amount of fat, push the coals to the side of the BBQ as the dripping fat will cause flaming. The ribs may take longer to cook if you do this as the heat is indirect. Brush the ribs with some of the sauce then turn and BBQ for 5 mins, repeat about 3-4 times until the ribs are tender and cooked through, with a sticky coating. Serve with the reserved sauce.

Serves 4
Olive, June 07

BBQ’d Corn with Coriander and Chilli Butter
120g unsalted butter, softened

2 small red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp chopped coriander

4 corn cobs

Olive oil, to brush

Mix together the butter, chilli, garlic and coriander.  Cook corn in boiling salted water, until just tender.  Cool slightly, then cut cobs into pieces.  Brush with oil and BBQ until lightly charred.  Heat butter mixture in a pan on the side of the BBQ until melted.  Place corn on a platter, pour over butter and serve.

Serves 4

Delicious, Oct 11

My last piece of advice, what ever you do, don't forget the Hot Chilli Sauce and plenty of ice cold drinks.

Spiced Lentil Soup

The weather here lately has been pretty naff.  This soup was just the tonic for adding a bit of heat, the ginger and cumin worked well with the chilli flakes.  The end result was a thick, stick to your ribs kind of soup, just the way I like my soup!  The only downfall was that the recipe isn't quite as healthy as I had first hoped, who knew red lentils have so many WW points in them!

I will also agree that it isn't the prettiest looking bowl of soup either.  But they say not to judge a book by its cover and so I believe we should not judge a soup by its colour!

Spiced Lentil Soup

Oil, for frying

A small piece ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp cumin

A pinch chilli flakes

1 onion, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and grated

150g red lentils
1 litre veg stock
1 lime, juiced to taste
A small bunch coriander, leaves only

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan and fry the ginger and spices for a couple of mins. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 mins more then add the lentils and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender. Blend until smooth or leave chunky. Stir through a squeeze of lime juice and serve sprinkled with some coriander.

Serves 4

Olive, Aug 10

CBC 16 - Ching's Chilli Chicken Noodles

This is another recipe that I used to make all the time and I can't quite remember why I stopped making it all the time.  This dish is fabby any time of year, in summer when everything is crisp and fresh or in winter when the chilli really kicks in and warms from the inside out.  We affectionately call this 'Ching's Chilli Chicken Noodles' as the recipe comes from Ching-He Huang's book Chinese Food Made Easy which accompanied the BBC TV series.  There are loads of fantastic recipes in the book but I shame-facedly admit that since trying this recipe I haven't ventured on to any of the others.  I really must rectify that!

Ching's Chilli Chicken Noodles
180g rice noodles
250g skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced
1 courgette, sliced into strips
1/2 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 large spring onions, sliced lengthways
For the Sauce
4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled, sliced and finely chopped
1 medium red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips
2 tomatoes, sliced
5 tbsp water
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp soft light brown sugar

Place all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender and blitz.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.  Drain, then run them under cold running water and drain again.  Drizzle with a little groundnut oil and put to one side.

Heat a wok over a high heat and add 1 tbsp groundnut oil (I use fry lite!).  Add the chicken and stir fry for 2-3 mins until it starts to turn brown.  Add the courgette and red pepper and stir fry together for 1 min.  Add the sauce and bring to the boil.

Add the cooked noodles and stir well to combine.  Season with the soy sauce, garnish with the spring onions and serve immediately.

Serves 2
Ching-He Huang's Chinese Food Made Easy

One shortcut I take is to boil the kettle and pour the boiling water into a bowl that has the noodles ready and waiting with a couple of crumbled chicken stock cubes.  Not classy, but tasty!  By the time the chicken and veg have stir fried the noodles are soft enough to drain and add to the wok along with the sauce where they finish cooking but soak up some of that spicy flavour.  To bulk the meal out I often add extra red pepper and / or courgette if I have it.

Sticky Five Spice Chicken with Chilli Slaw

We have welcomed two new additions to our family this week.  Yep - TWINS!  While we had been expecting the imminent arrival of Bessie for sometime, I don't mind telling you that Betsy was a little bit of a surprise.  Bessie arrived first;

Isn't she sweet!?!?!  I know - she isn't a real baby, but she is my long awaited KitchenAid Food Processor.  My old food processor (a Kenwood) served me well for a few years but he decided to pop his clogs on Christmas Eve and we've been saving ever since for Bessie. 

The shock addition, Little Betsy (the KitchenAid Blender) is currently in the dishwasher awaiting her very first bath and didn't want any nudie type baby pictures appearing on the Internet thank you very much.  We'll get a photo of the shy little thing when she least expects it though.  As Ken was both a food processor and a blender, his departure from our lives left some big shoes to fill.  Thankfully the retailers are all having sales at the moment so we managed to pick up Betsy for a bit of a song (not a whole song mind!) and she joined our family a couple of days after Bessie.

Big Bertha (the KitchenAid Mixer) is pleased as punch to be a big sister and seems to be sharing her cupboard space well, although a bit of rejigging is required for a comfortable fit.  I wouldn't say it loud enough for Bessie to hear but she is a bit wide around the girth!

So tonight was the night that Bessie got her first proper workout, she helped me make Chilli Slaw to accompany dinner and then also helped with making dessert.  She managed shred cabbage and grate carrots with the minimum of fuss and she is so quite compared to Ken, but of course girls are always far more demure than boys [ahem]!

Chilli Slaw
2 carrots
3-4 red chillies, deseeded
1/4 pointed green cabbage (I used a sweetheart cabbage)
Zest and juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp creme fraiche
2 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Coarsely grate the carrots and place in a bowl.  Finely slice the chillies into strips, add to the carrot and mix well.  Finely slice the cabbage and add to the bowl with the remaining ingredients,  Season, toss well and serve.

Serves 4 as a side
Delicious Mag, August 2010

I wasn't 100% sure how the Chilli Slaw was going to go down with either of us, Hubby isn't it creamy salad dressings at all and usually steers well clear of things like coleslaw. The dressing for this Chilli Slaw is really light and tangy though and doesn't become a really cloying flavour that overpowers all the others. The chilli was the ingredient that worried me, I don't dislike spicy food but I'm not keen on the whole mouth burning from heat sensation. While the heat from the chilli was there, the dressing helped tone it down, a win : win for both of us.

Sticky Five Spice Chicken
8 chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
60ml sweet chilli sauce
60ml oyster sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

Place the chicken, sweet chilli, oyster sauce, garlic and five spice powder in a bowl and mix well to combine.  Heat a large non stick frying pan over medium heat.  Cook the chicken for 4-5 mins each side or until cooked through and sticky.  Serve with an Asian-style coleslaw and coriander leaves.

Serves 4
Donna Hay Newsletter

The chicken was delish!  I think the sauce would work really well as stir fry as well so I'm going to give that a try next week.  Hubby went back for seconds on both the chicken and the Chilli Slaw which was a bit of a relief after I called him to the table and he took one look at his plate and decided he "didn't like it"!  Honestly!  Who needs children when you have a husband who is a fussy eater ;0)

Homemade Chicken Nachos

This recipe was clipped this out of a magazine earlier this year and I have been meaning to make it ever since, tonight I finally got the chance! It is the perfect way to start your weekend - the easiest Friday night meal.  Quick to prepare and very easy to eat! 

Homemade Chicken Nachos
200g plain corn tortilla chips
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded into small pieces
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
140g red Leicester cheese, grated
1 small jar red or green sliced pickled jalapenos
Small bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped
Your choice of salsa, hot pepper sauce (like Chipotle Tabasco), creme fraiche, guacamole or extra jalapenos, to serve

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C.  Layer up the tortilla chips in an ovenproof dish or baking tray with the chopped chicken, spring onions, cheese and pickled jalapenos.  Bake for 8 mins or until the cheese is melted.  To serve, sprinkle with the coriander and eat with your favourite accompaniments.

Serves 4
Good Food Magazine, Feb 10

I also added a tin of red kidney beans that I drained and washed before adding to the layers.

Turkey Chilli Burgers

Barbie season has well and truly arrived here in Edinburgh.  This makes me so happy ;0)
Short sleeves, bright blue skies, Bumble Bees and Barbies - not sure that life could get any better.

To celebrate the change of weather the most recent ash cloud seems to have brought with it we've been having a few barbies of late, be prepared to see a few savoury meals appearing while the warm weather is with us, all cooked on the webber of course.  A couple of years ago I pretty much lived off these burgers.  Living in a flat in Craigmillar space was tight and there was definitely no space for a barbecue so I used to make these on the George Foreman.  Once we moved to the Waterfront I've been spoilt and can now have a webber on the balcony (still not a backyard which I long for but we'll get there one day ~ baby steps!) and I've decided that these burgers taste even better when cooked in the great outdoors.

Turkey Chilli Burgers
500g minced turkey
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or coriander
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
olive oil, for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Burger buns, rocket and tomato slices, to serve

Mix together the minced turkey, garlic, chilli, herbs, worcestershire sauce and plenty of salt and pepper.  Shape the mixture into 4 even sized burgers, then brush lightly with the oil.  Preheat the grill to medium.

Grill for 5 mins on each side - or cook on a medium to hot barbie - until well browned and cooked through.  Serve in burger buns with rocket and juicy sliced tomatoes.

Makes 4
Ainsley Harriot (I think it was 'Low Fat Meals In Minutes')

These burgers come with a couple of added bonus.  Firstly, because turkey mince is used they are pretty healthy ~ if you are counting points like me then these are only 3.5 points per burger.  And the other bonus is a pretty selfish one, Hubby doesn't like Turkey so it means that I can have them all to myself!  Not all in one sitting mind because that would defeat the purpose of counting the points of course!

Wishing you all short sleeves, bright blue skies, Bumble Bees (except if you are Lucie, then I wish you no bumbles at all!) and Barbies where ever you are ;0)

Spicy Apple and Cranberry Bruschetta ...

... or maybe I should have called this post 'Not Yo Mama's Cheese on Toast'!!  I was flicking through an old magazine last week when this recipe jumped off the page to me.  Apple and Cranberry Bruschetta sounded like something I wanted to try and as luck would have it (this is happening to me an awful lot lately!) I had all the ingredients on hand so headed straight into the kitchen.

Spicy Apple and Cranberry Bruschetta
2 tbsp veg oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
350g bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp cranberry sauce
Loaf of walnut bread, sliced into 8 pieces
120g goat’s cheese log, sliced into thin rounds

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and chilli for 8-10 mins until softened.

Add the apples. Vinegar, sugar and cranberry sauce. Season well, then cook for 8-10 mins or until the apples are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Cool.

Toast the walnut bread on both sides until golden. Divide the apple and onion relish equally between the bread slices, then top each with a couple of goat’s cheese slices. Grill for 3-5 mins until the cheese begins to melt. Serve immediately.

Serves 4
Good To Know Recipes, Sept 10

• Store this spicy relish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

I made the relish on Monday night and used it to make the bruschetta for dinner on the Tuesday night (this did allow me to pop to the shops to get the bread - alas not that required walnut bread though - and the goat's cheese) and makes a great weeknight meal, quick to make and very easy to eat, sweet, tart and spicy all at the same time ... and even better than that there is hardly any washing up at the end of the meal too ;0)

Homemade Hot Chilli Sauce

It seems that last week's post well and truly goosed my laptop / blogger or whatever it was.  For the moment though, it seems to be playing nicely so I'll test the waters with this blog steal I made recently, at Hubby's request.  He is a fiend for hot food and asked me to try and find a recipe for a hot sauce similar in taste and spiciness as the one that is severed at his favorite chain restaurant.  He seems pretty happy with this first attempt ... good thing too, as I now have about 15 baby chilli plants growing in pots around the flat, and judging by their recent growth spurt I'll soon have a merry assortment of mild to super-duper-blow-your-head-off-hot chillies.

Homemade Hot Chilli Sauce
150g chillies of your choice (I recommend starting with the mild ones and working your way up)
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp veg oil
400g tinned tomatoes or passata
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp caster sugar

Remove stems of chillies, rinse clean. Blot dry with paper towel. Wearing rubber gloves, mince the chili peppers. The smaller the cut, the smoother your final sauce will be.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and then add the garlic and shallots. Saute over medium to high heat for a about 1 minute or until light brown and fragrant.

Add the tinned tomatoes or passata and the chillies. Let the sauce come to a simmer then lower the heat to keep it at a low simmer. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Mix well.

Continue simmering the sauce for about 5 minutes. This will break down the chillies and soften them to create the smooth consistency.

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely (I left the sauce overnight at this stage).

Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth or until most of the chilli skin and seeds break down- preferably on the 'liquefy' mode.

Get Hubby to taste the hot sauce!  If you need to you can add more of whatever is required, add more sugar, vinegar or water. Blend one last time till smooth. Pour into clean, air tight jar and refrigerate.

The original recipe says to use within about 1 week but ours has been on the go for about 2 weeks now and is still perfectly fine, if anything it seems to be 'improving' with age!  We keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge though.

Stolen from the White On Rice Couple

We've head this as a marinade for Chicken Goujons (or as the chain restaurant calls them 'boneless chicken wings'!) for dinner through the week with salad and Hubby will be using even more on his barbie tonight.  Well worth a try!

Hopefully normal service has now been resumed blogging wise, during the wee glitch I have tried to leave comments on as many of your posts as possible, sometimes though technology got the better of me!  Going to attempt and add an update to the We Should Cocoa round up as a couple of you have requested, fingers crossed ...

Funghi Trifolati Alla Giancarlo ...

... or Giancarlo's Mushrooms to you and me!!!

This is Cook Book Challenge number 2 (not quite sure how to say that in Italian) and comes from my most recent purchase 'The Italian Cookery Course' by Katie Caldesi. As you can see I am well and truly immersing myself in my latest culinary fetish and this is the kind of meal I would have paid money for in a restaurant but it was so simple. I made this for dinner last night but if I'd known how quick it was going to be I'd have saved it for one of our week night dinners. I did end up amending the recipe a wee bit though it was just to make it a little healthier for our waist lines.

Gincarlo's Mushrooms

Fry lite (the recipe calls for 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil)

2 garlic cloves crushed

3 large sprigs of thyme

3 sprigs of rosemary

1/2 - 1 red chilli (depending on strength) finely sliced

500g mixed mushrooms (eg white cup, oyster, portobello, crimini, porcini), washed or wiped as necessary, thickly sliced

A generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and, when hot, add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, chilli and salt and pepper. Fry for 1 min, then add the mushrooms and cook them, still over a high heat, tossing or stirring frequently. When the water from the mushrooms has evaporated and they have become browned and slightly crisp they are ready.

Makes 300g cooked weight, serves 4 as a side dish

The Italian Cookery Course

To turn this into a main meal I added 4 tbsp of cream (weight watchers would you believe, I wouldn't have known the difference if I hadn't bought the tub myself!) to the pan to make a mushroom sauce. I added the sauce to a pack of freshly cooked gnocchi and heated some panini's in the oven to help mop up the sauce. Mmmmm, will be having this again very soon ;0)

Dead Good Chicken Noodle Soup

Wow - so long since my last post!!! There has been lots going on which I would love to blame my absence on but in reality I've had my nose stuck in books all week. I resisted 'The Twilight Saga' for as long as I possibly good but last night after I finished New Moon I promised to tear myself away from Bella, Jake and Edward for long enough to write up a post and catch up on the unread posts sitting in my reader.

As you can imagine the book reading has 'slightly' restricted my time in the kitchen! That being the case one still has to put a meal on the table each night and this Chicken Noodle Soup is one of our all time favourites, it also has the added bonus of being quite healthy too ;0)

Chicken Noddle Soup

Heat 1.75 litres (3 pints) chicken stock in a pan with 1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed, 1 1/2 tsp ginger, grated and 2 tbsp soy sauce. When simmering, add 3 chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and cook for 10 mins, adding 100g sugar snaps, halved, for the final minute. Remove the chicken and vegetables and set aside. Soak a pack of thin rice noddles in the stock for 5 mins. Transfer to bowls using tongs. Slice the chicken and add to the bowls with the sugar snaps, 8 spring onions, sliced and 25g fresh coriander, torn, and some sliced red chilli. Pour over the stock, season and serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4

I think I got this from a Sainsbury's Magazine many moons ago

This is the best Chicken Noodle Soup ever - in my opinion! And its quicker to make than waiting for the delivery from the Chinese Take Away. The original recipe suggests adding 125g beansprouts too but for some reason I always leave them out.

A Chilli Lovers Hamper

Yesterday was the first chance we got to finally catch up with our stranded Christmas Day guests through in Bathgate. The scenery on the short trip from Edinburgh to Bathgate was very beautiful, almost made me want to leave the big smoke but the estate Sis-in-Law lives in was absolutely covered under feet of snow and ice. There were cars abandoned everywhere and as we entered the estate a lady had slid off the road and had to be helped out by two passer's by. I have never seen so much snow, unfortunately my back is still not co-operating so I couldn't make a snowman (this is one of my life's ambitions!) and I left my camera on the kitchen bench so I haven't even got any photo's of the snow to show.

Anyway, this is a food blog and not a snow report! Sis-in-Law is a huge chilli fan so I made her a hamper full to the brim with chilli inspired treats. The goodies were all packed into a terracotta pot and came complete with chilli seeds and some pretty girly gardening cloves for her to grow her own chillies once all the treats are polished off. She was over the moon with them all.



It didn't seem right to post the goodies here until we had actually managed to give Sis-in-Law her present, but now we have the all clear so here goes ...



Chilli Vodka
This one was really, really simple! Take a bottle of vodka. Add some birdseye chillies and leave for as long as you like for the chilli and vodka to infuse. I also added a cocktail recipe card;

Cajan Bloody Mary
1 cup ice cubes
30ml chilli infused vodka
10ml fresh lemon juice
Dash worcestershire sauce
Dash tabasco sauce
Pinch celery salt
Pinch cracked black pepper
120ml tomato juice

Combine ice, vodka, lemon juice and sauces in a glass (300ml highball) rimmed with celery salt and pepper; add tomato juice and stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge and two straws.

Serves 1
Australian Women's Weekly Cocktails



Chilli Jelly

150g long fresh red chillies, each deseeded and cut into about 4 pieces
150g red peppers, cored, deseeded and cut into rough chunks
1kg jam sugar
600ml cider vinegar

Sterilise your jars and leave to cool.



Put the cup up chillies into a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the chunks of red pepper and pulse again until you have a vibrantly red flecked processor bowl.



Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a wide, medium sized pan over a low heat without stirring.

Scrape the chilli-pepper mixture out of the bowl and add to the pan. Bring the pan to the boil, then leave it at a rollicking boil for 10 mins.

Take the pan off the heat and allow it to cool. The liquid will become more syrupy, then from syrup to viscous and from viscous to jelly like as it cools (Nigella's words not mine!)



After about 40 mins, or once the red flecks are more or less evenly dispersed in the jelly (as the liquid firms up, the bits of chilli and pepper start being suspended in it rather than floating on it), ladle it into your jars. If you want to stir gently at this stage it will do no harm. Then seal tightly.



Make ahead tip: Make the jam up to 1 month before using or giving. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Once opened store in the fridge and use within 1 month.



Makes approx 1.5 litres
Nigella's Christmas Cook Book

I made half the quantity as listed here. Stupidly I thought that meant it would only need have the boiling time too!!! After 40 mins of colling down my flecks of chilli and pepper were still floating and there was no sign of Nigella's syrup - viscous - jelly. So I added the pan back to the heat, brought it back up to the boil and voila ;0)



Candid Chillies in a Sweet Chilli Syrup

8-12 fresh mild to medium red chillies
450g white sugar
450ml water
Boiling water

Pour about 1 litre of freshly boiled water into a pan and add the chillies. Bring the pan to the boil and blanch the chillies for 1 min. Drain the chillies and refresh in cold water.

Add the equal volumes of sugar and water to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the chillies and cook at a gentle boil for 30-40 mins.

During the cooking time, sterilise the jar in the oven or in boiling water for 15 mins.

When the chillies are cooked. lift them out gently and place in the jar. Pour the syrup over and screw the lid on. Allow the jar to cool before storing in the fridge.

I found the recipe for this one over at Kate the Bake. Thanks Katie!

Lemongrass and Chilli White Chocolate Truffles

A few years ago we attended the first ever Scotland Good Food Show. Sis-in-Law tried a white chocolate truffle that was flavoured with Lemongrass and Chilli. It wasn't quite my cup of tea but she loved it and has asked me to try and recreate it for her ever since. It wasn't until I did the Chocolate Masterclass a few months ago that I actually got the courage to play around with the flavours of truffles so I used my basic White Chocolate Truffle recipe and infused the cream and butter with two sticks of lemongrass and a bird's ever chilli. It seemed to work pretty well, we got a text message last night saying they were perfect ;0)

Tomato and Chilli Pesto

260g jar semi dried tomatoes in oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
25g pine nuts
2 plump garlic cloves, crushed
Handful fresh flatleaf parsley leaves
125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for storing
20g parmesan, finely grated

Put the tomatoes, chilli, pine nuts, garlic, parsley and oil into a food processor and blend to a paste. Season well and transfer to a bowl.

Stir in the parmesan. Put into a sterilised jar or jars then top with a film of olive oil.

Makes about 350g
Delicious Mag, Dec 09