Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Making Chilli Jam while listening to Masterchef

So here is a quick taste bite, something to go with fish, chicken or lamb, when you don’t want the fish, chicken or lamb to seem too lonely sitting on a plate on its own.

Chilli jam is really a condiment, isn’t it? But because this one is bulked up with tomatoes, it’s more of a side dish, so all you need to do is put some salad leaves beside it for colour, and the meal is complete.

And despite the name, Chilli Jam, it can become a bit too spicy hot if you add too much chilli. In fact, I spent several minutes fishing out the chilli bits from the pan while it was cooking, because after tasting it, I found it was waaaay too hot!


Tomato and Chilli Jam

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

4 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 brown onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ – 1 long red chilli, sliced
½ cup brown sugar
4 tbls white wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)


Method
1. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan over low heat.
2. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then bring to the boil.
3. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened.
4. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper before serving.

Ingredients, pre- and post-chopped


In the saucepan, pre- and post-cooking


Tomato and Chilli Jam, keeping lamb company

And finally, here is the view from my kitchen to the living room. Can you see the television? Well, that’s all I can see, and even though Masterchef Australia has been on for the past 2 months or so, I’ve never seen a full episode because I’m usually making dinner when it’s on (I’ve tried running back and forth to the TV, but it’s not good when holding a dripping spoon). At least my hearing’s good so I can listen to it and imagine what the dishes they are creating are like.

7 comments:

  1. That chilli jam looks fantastic! I am such a chilli fiend that I would probably have left the extra chilli in anyway ;) Hahaha I have that exact problem with Masterchef, I can't actually put names to faces since I only listen to it while I'm busy in the kitchen!

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  2. That sounds tasty without being too spicy. I wonder how it would go as a pasta sauce - have you tried it?

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  3. You caught my attention right away with the chili jam. I have missed most of Masterchef also and unlike you, I cannot hear the TV in the kitchen. Boo!

    Will try out the chili jam though, looks so tasty.

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  4. can i just say, your cooking looks delicious! would love to be at your dinner table! and yeah, as much as I love chilli, when it's too hot, it's no good!

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  5. hi Steph - phew, I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't know all the contestants!

    hi Arwen - I was thinking the same thing, but the sauce is quite sweet, so probably would not go well with pasta.

    hi Megan - good one, hope you get the chance to make the chilli jam.

    hi panda - that's too sweet of you! And me too, I'm a little scared of too much spice...

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  6. aww... we have the same kettle. :)

    (but has yours gone kinda all mottled brown at the bottom, and does your water sometimes taste metallic?)

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  7. hi bowb - I really like that kettle! And yes, mine is a bit brown on the bottom, but the water tastes ok still. I wonder if it can be cleaned by adding some vinegar to the water?

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