Sunday 9 October 2011

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot !

I've had such a fabulous crop of chilli peppers this year in the greenhouse. The plants are now as tall as the tomatoes (to the glass ceiling, almost) and all of a sudden they have all ripened, a wonderful fiery red. Like an idiot, I've lost the seed packet so I can't remember the variety.

Can you feel the heat yet?
Big problem - what in the hell am I to do with them all? It's like the usual glut issue on the veg plot, mainly with courgettes. I'm not complaining. I'm pleased, really pleased. But I've gotta get rid of them!

So this was my master plan yesterday. A 'get rid of the chillis and courgettes in one go' plan. I acquired a recipe last year for a courgette tea bread (zucchini to you guys across the water) using grated courgettes and chopped walnuts. Only I ate it here, nobody else liked the walnuts. Perhaps because I always refer to them as dried monkey brains.

Anyway, I thought I'd adapt it a bit and add a bit of a 'zing' to the recipe by adding a handful of chilli peppers to the mix... Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 oz butter                                        2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of
3 eggs                                             soda
10 oz sugar                                      1 teaspoon baking powder
8fl oz veg / sunflower oil                     1 teaspoon of salt
10 oz plain flour                                 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
4 oz chopped walnuts                        1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
PLUS 5, yes 5 red hot chillis!             2 medium Courgettes - grated !!
                                                         (Zucchini to you Jim)

More tea loaf Vicar?
Line a loaf tin with some greaseproof paper and grease. Then, in a saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat. When melted, set it to one side to cool a bit.


Beat the eggs and the oil together with a mixer until it has a nice thick consistancy. Then beat in the sugar, stir in the melted butter and the courgettes and the chopped chillis.

In another bowl, mix all the dried ingredients well and gently fold the dried mix into the wet mixture and then fold in the walnuts.
Pour the lot into the loaf tin and put in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F / GM 4. Should take about 50-60 minutes but check every now and again with a knife through the centre of the loaf to see if it comes out clean. When it does, it's ready!
Now, I like hot food, but maybe I'll reduce the number of chillis. Just a bit...

48 comments:

fromsophiesview said...

Oh man...you know how to blow your head off, don't you! I likes me food hot but sometimes there are limits!

Jim said...

Chris, this is a RIOT! Well done!
One thing....how much zucchini does one use? Can't find the amount at all.
Plan to try this minus the chilies!!

Jim said...

Now THAT was a 'double-whammie'! Unplanned too! Honestly!

Melodie said...

You are so funny! I loved your pictures! If I had that many chilies and had to find someway of preserving them...I would make some chili powder maybe or some spicy relish or pickles..or dehydrate or ..or.. Oops ! I do get carried away when it come to preserving food!

Texan said...

Make some Red Chili jelly! It would be excellent I am sure. We just love Jalapeno jelly here in Texas! You can dry a bunch of those too and add them dried to lots of things. I would cut them up and dry them in small pieces. I am with Melodie pickle some of them yummy that would be great too! Melodie and I both are a bit of Jalapeno fanatics so I guess we see them like Jalapenos LOL. Hey also save some seeds from them if you want to grow more of the same ones next year. The fully mature red ones save seeds from those. Then your good to go for next year :O).

e.m.b. said...

How many interesting things have been created and cooked from having simply trying to get rid of having too many -- banana bread...zucchini bread...pepper bread!? :) Fun.

Crow said...

You make me laugh. :-)

Cro Magnon said...

WOW. Personally I dry mine, then give them a slight wizz in the wizzing machine, and use them as chilli flakes throughout the year!

John Going Gently said...

ps Your girlfriend must be mad as you.. I take it she took the photos and did the make up!

Chris said...

Ron & Jim - 2x Courgettes! There are limits to them too.

Melodie - I really need to get my arse in gear with the preserving thing - you and Tex have that covered, I'll be over later for tips.

Tex - Seeds stored. NEVER, EVER rub your eyes after getting them out. Just discovered that. Be back later after I've returned from A&E...

Chris said...

Erin - Bannanas! I'm gonna need a bigger tin.

Crow - You make me laugh more!!!

Cro - Just flicking through the Argos catalogue and I can't find a whizzing machine anywhere! Probably an obscure Frenchy thing like shooting insects...lol

John - I'll decline your kind offer on this occasion. Thank you anyway lol.

My GF thinks I'm a twat. "You on that blog again?!"

Sue said...

That is hilarious! Love the photos. (Chris - surely everyone's got a whizzing machine.)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Hi. Have come over here from John Gray's blog as he said come over if you want a laugh. I am dying to know how you got that last photograph! Brilliant stuff and yes, I did laugh - heartily.

Little Blue Mouse said...

Ha ha, I love your facial expressions in the photos!

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I think James Martin and Jamie Oliver need not feel threatened by your culinary adventures but any Al Jolson lookalikes out there should keep glancing over their shoulders!

Chris said...

Sue - got a washing machine and a whisk. Maybe it's a combo of those?

Weaver - Just realised JG is plugging my little blog. Humbled. That last pic is the true colour of my face, all the rest have been doctored.

LBM - If you didn't laugh you'd cry. I do every morning.

Pudding - MAMMY!

Samantha said...

Absolutely hilarious..
I also claim it isn't that hot if you aren't clawing out your own tongue.

We eat an obscene amount of hot chili/sausage stuffed mushrooms here.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Those pictures are so funny! I love some peppers!

Chris said...

Sam - Mmmth mffmm tnnnngg hnnns bnnnnn nnaaaawdd ungh!

Lisa - Have some of mine!

Moving with Mitchell said...

So glad John Gray directed us your way. Great images. Great story telling. You can keep the bread!

Anonymous said...

came over to visit via John Gray's lovely chickens...after looking at your EXCELLENT photos, I too think a reduction in your RED HOT CHILIs for this recipe might just be in order

I enjoy a little "HEAT" in my food but perhaps I'll pass on the Courgette Tea Bread

;-)

Galestorm said...

Try some hot pepper vinegar. Fill a sterilized jar with hot peppers. Fill the jar with hot apple cider vinegar. Seal the jars and just let it sit for a while. Great on greens and especially good to dip steamed oysters in.

Nota Bene said...

Send them here...we need some more dried chillies for our oil bottle!

Molly said...

Actually Chris, chillies do freeze quite well and they're usually OK for up to a year. I freeze them just as they are and then pick one or two out from frozen, chop them and then use them in stir fries or anything else going like your brilliant recipes.
Your photos on the other hand are dead cool. Love them - you are just the tonic I need in this moment in time

Judith said...

Chili jam and chili jelly are delicious and easy to make. Molly is right - chilis freeze quite well too. Love the photos!

trish said...

Very funny!
Those chillies are just so beautiful, I would dry them and have them hanging in my kitchen.
My friend makes a delicious chili jelly.
Great photos.

Shaheen said...

Oh you are so funnny, I can't stop chuckling to myself. You should try and dry the chillies naturall. My mother gave me about a dozen homegrown - I've strung them together and allowed them to dry in the window sill. Drying wonderfully. Or freeze them!

Tom Stephenson said...

I can't think how I missed this the first time, Chris, but - thanks to John - I have found it, and bloody wonderful it is too. Chillis are a largely untapped font of humour, which you have made me laugh out loud with today.

Chris said...

Mitch - no please have some, please!

Theanne & Baron - The courgette bit was fine - try it without the chillis

Galestorm - sounds lovely. The chickens eat/drink apple cider vinegar - wonder if I can get them to eat chillis too?...

Nota Bene - coming!

Chicken lover said...

Marvellous!

Chris said...

Molly - freezing, now that's an idea. It'll make them cooler.

Judith - yep, the chilli jelly idea seems popular...

Trish - ...maybe hang them as christmas decorations too. Has that been done?

Shaheen - ...I wonder if I can make jewellery from them - a necklace maybe? Hmm...

Chris said...

Tom - probably that bottle of Chablis was in the way of that bit of the imac screen (marked with a dustbin icon)

Trying to think of a comedy routine involving chillis...

Chicken lover - thank you my dear. I love chickens too (not in the Biblical sense)

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

I straggled over here from John's blog, too, and he's right. Absolutely hilarious. If you're gonna continue experimenting with those things, you'd better keep plenty of milk around to put the fire out in your mouth. Thanks for the good laugh.

sarah toa said...

That is hilarious. Clever Shots.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the belly laugh! Concerning jalepenos: even though I live in south central Texas where Tex-Mex is king, I believe in less is more where it concerns adding heat to food. I like to feel my tongue after I take a bite.

gz said...

you could dry chillis, but they seem to be hotter still when you come to use them!

Chris said...

Susan - thanks for the advice, milk and fire extinguisher at the ready...

Sarah - Hi Sarah, caught any GW's in your net lately?

Janet - Tex-mex sounds real hot!

Gwynneth - I have some dried chillis. In my earlier culinary days I once put those, black pepper, paprika, and mustard in a dish to 'spice things up a bit'...it's a wonder I'm still alive really.

936000 said...

Oh you!

936000 said...

And you've given me Owl envy!!

John Going Gently said...

now you're over 40

lovelygrey said...

This is the colour my head goes if I add more than one chilli to a big pot of something. Would like to be more steely but I am a chilli lightweight.

Chris said...

Meggs - Owl envy - that's a new one! Owl be coming over to your blog later (groan)...

John - I feel much owlder than that (groan again)

Lovely - Join the club. Makes my head spin (groan, another really bad owl joke...)

Megan said...

I absolutely ADORE the tasting photographs, they're hilarious!

Rebecca said...

What a hoot! Love the photos-and I hope you weren't seriously injured! I think the bread sounds good, but it looks a little lethal!

Clive said...

We dropped in via Jim's blog - brillant post - still laughing here!

Chilli oil is a good way to use up some of them!!

Inger said...

Did you know that Hilary Clinton travels with chili peppers. I love them too, but even so, that looked like a whole lot. I dropped in from Jim's blog too and got my good laugh for the day.

Chris said...

Megan - You have a great, quirky style to yours posts. Definitely be over to yours again!

Becks - No, I was discharged for A&E without any serious long-term effects lol.

Clive - Hi - yep the oils / preserve thing is the way forward. From Jims blog you say...

Inger - What on tour? I love the red hot chilli peppers. Is she a groupie?

Hang on a minute - what's Jimbo up to now...

Steve Bailey said...

Love the recipe..... gonna make some and then pass some out at my nephews birthday party.... ah the lovely crying children... MUAHAHA!!!!