Christmas Food Ideas - Chilli & Red Pepper Chutney

Hey Dizzy Miss Lizzies!

I wanted to share some yummy Christmas recipes with you over the next few weeks. Not all of them will necessarily be your typical Christmas foods but they'll all be wintery and warming so I hope you like them!

I'm going to start with Chilli and Red Pepper Chutney. Not only is this a great accompaniment for any cheese, it can make a great Christmas present when labelled and done up in a nice jam jar! You want to start making this around mid to late November to allow it to preserve before you eat it over Christmas. Obviously you can make it and eat it straight away but I personally think this kind of thing tastes better when it's had some time to settle. If you are going to preserve it until Christmas, remember to seal it in sterilized jars - I'll explain how to do this a little later on.

So, the ingredients!

You'll need around 8 chillies. Average size, red or green - it's up to you
8 red peppers - make sure they're really ripe
2 medium red onions
1 5cm stick of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
A glug of olive oil
A sprig of rosemary
100g of golden sugar
150ml of balsamic vinegar


First, you need to take the red peppers and chillies and put them under a hot grill. You want to cook them them until they're all burnt and blistered so they'll be easy to peal. Once they're done (you'll need to turn them a few times to ensure they're evenly cooked) put them all in a large bowl and cover them with cling film. Leave them to cook in their own steam until they've cooled down enough to touch.

Once they've cooled, peal off as much of the skin as you can. It should come off pretty easily. Remove the stalks and take out the seeds then chop and put to one side.

Heat up a pan and add a splash of olive oil. Add the chopped onions, rosemary, bay leaves and the cinnamon stick and cook at a low temperature for around 15-20 minutes. The onions need to be soft and a little golden.

You're going to want to start sterilizing your jam jars now. There's two ways I do it, either in the dishwasher on a high heat (the highest), or boil the jars and the lids in a pan on the hob. The former is probably easiest but I don't always have an almost full dishwasher load to add the jars to! Keep the jars in the dishwasher/ in the boiling water until you're ready to fill them with the mixture.

Once the onions are cooked, add peppers, chillies, balsamic vinegar and the sugar. Continue to cook until the mixture becomes darker and a little more sticky. This may take a while but you're looking for a soft yet thickened consistency.

Now, add the mixture while it's still warm to the sterilized jars. The jars should also be warm to avoid any of the glass shattering. Seal the jars with the sterilized lids and ensure the seal is air tight.

Chilli & Red Pepper Chutney

If you're planning on giving these jars to a friend or family member for Christmas, feel free to cover the top with a piece of cream material/ gingham and tie a brown luggage label round the lid.

So there you go! A yummy chutney for the Christmas season and the perfect Christmas gift!

Enjoy!

Lots of Love,
Dizzy Miss Lizzy xxx

Sicilian Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

Last week I decided to make Jamie Oliver's Sicilian Squash and Chickpea Stew. It's a lovely winter warmer and doesn't take all that long... Minus the cooking time of the Butternut Squash obviously ;-)

So, before you start you need to make sure you have the following ingredients:

1 butternut squash (about 1.2kg)
olive oil
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander (15g)
40g raisins (optional... I don't use them as I'm not a fan)
50g mixed olives, stones in (stones out is OK too!)
1 can of chickpeas in water (400g)
1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1 vegetable stock cube
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 onions
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (this is to taste... The hotter you like your food, the more you can use)
1 mug (320g) couscous (I used 2 packets of dried for 2 people)
Fat free natural yoghurt


First you want to cook your squash. Now, I absolutely hate peeling these things and chopping them so I cheat a bit.... I put the whole thing in the oven to cook instead! Set the oven to around 200 degrees C/ Gas mark 6 and prick the skin with a fork. Leave it to roast for about 40 minutes. I would usually cook it for way longer but we'll be chopping it up and adding it to the stew to cook for a further 40 mins later.

Once the 40 mins are up, chop the squash in half length ways and scoop out the pulp and seeds. If it's really tough to cut then you might want to leave it in for a little longer. Once it's in 2 halves you want to score the squash into squares. You can leave it now while you cook the stew.

Put a full kettle of water on to boil. 

Put a lug of oil in a large pan (a casserole one if you have it.. If not a normal one will do) on a low heat and roughly chop both the onions. Add these to the pan along with the chilli, the cinnamon and the raisins if you're using them. Finely chop the stalks of the coriander and add these to the pan too. Cook for 20 minutes with the lid on, adding a little boiling water to allow the onions etc to sweat. You don't want the pan to be swimming with water, just enough water to stop the cinnamon from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Once the 20 minutes are up you want to add the squash, followed by the olives (bash the stones out of them first if you've got ones with the stones in), the chickpeas (juice as well!) and the chopped tomatoes. Crumble in the stock cube and add 500ml of boiling water (if you feel you need to add a little less then that's OK) . Turn the heat up to medium and simmer for 40 minutes, lid off, until the stew is lovely and thick. Stir occasionally.

Cook the couscous how the packet instructs and tip it onto a large plate once it's done. Spoon the stew over the top and drizzle the natural yoghurt over the whole thing. Then scatter the fresh coriander leaves around the edge. And you're all done! Enjoy!

DML xxx

Sweet Pea and Chicken Risotto

I've been experimenting with a few of Jamie's recipes from his cook book entitled "Save with Jamie" over the past couple of weeks. There are some recipes that are a bit.. "meh" but some of them are real keepers. Last week it was the turn of Jamie's Sweet Pea and Chicken Risotto...

So... Most people I speak to about Risotto seem to be petrified of it! It seems to have gained itself quite a reputation for being the hardest thing to cook. I can categorically say that's not the case - it's the best "no brain power" meal to cook and doesn't really take all that long. You can jazz it up with rocket, keep it simple with chicken and mushroom or go for something more colourful like roasted butternut squash. Whatever you chose to use as the starring role, the basis of the meal will always be the same:

1 large, finely chopped onion ( I actually used some shallots for my sweet pea risotto but it's entirely up to you)

Optional - 1 finely chopped carrot

Optional - Finely chopped celery (about 2 sticks, give or take)

3 cloves garlic (or however much you fancy. I love garlic so the more the merrier for me!)

Arborio risotto rice (you can get this from all good supermarkets)

Grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. A healthy chunk - about 100g

Good stock. (If you have some left over from a roast then great but if not, Knorr stock pots are perfectly adequate. Use the chicken one or vegetable, depending on your ingredients).
 The added extras will depend entirely on what you fancy. For the purpose of this recipe I've chosen frozen garden peas (about 3 handfuls) and some diced chicken. I actually used some frozen cooked chicken from a roast I’d cooked the night before but fresh chicken works just as well. In this recipe you'll be using uncooked chicken.


Make sure you prepare your stock first. Whether you're using homemade or a stock pot have it ready in a Pyrex style jug so you can add it when you need to. About a pint of stock should do. Ensure you have a full kettles worth of boiled water as well - this may come in handy later on.

So, firstly fry off the onions/ shallots in a little olive oil or butter. If you're using celery and carrots add them here too. Cook for a few minutes or until the onions are soft and see through and then add the garlic and some chicken, if you're using it. Cook for a minute or two more or until the chicken has browned and then add the Arborio rice. Stir for 2 - 3 minutes, making sure the rice has had a chance to heat up. I know it seems odd adding rice to pretty much dry pan but the rice needs a chance to warm through to ensure it achieves the right consistency later on.

Once you've stirred the rice through, you need to begin adding the stock. Add it a little at a time and only add more when the last lot has been absorbed by the rice. A splash at a time will be fine, or you can use a ladle. Keep stirring and adding until all the stock has been used up.

Once you've used up all the stock it's time to do a bit of "try it and see" style cooking! From now on keep adding boiling water from the kettle until the rice has cooked through. You want an aldante texture - a little bit of bite but not too much. Add some frozen garden peas for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

When you're happy with the texture add some grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese along with a chunk of butter. Mix it through until you have a soft consistency. Add some extra boiling water from the kettle if it's a bit sticky.

Once you're happy with the consistency serve up, adding some rocket on top with some shavings of Parmesan or Pecorino. And that's it! A great recipe for a dinner party or if you're planning a romantic meal in ;-)

Happy cooking!

Lots of Love,
Dizzy Lizzy xxx

 

Sweet Pea and Chicken Risotto

Dizzy Lizzy's top tip - if you fancy trying butternut squash instead, make sure you roast it in the oven first for around 30 minutes or until golden. I like to roast mine with some fresh thyme but it's entirely up to you. Soften the chunks of squash up with a potato masher or fork before adding to your Risotto, right at the end after you've added the Parmesan or Pecorino. You can also add some roasted beetroot for an added special touch along with the rocket on top!

Saving with Jamie

So... I've just bought this book. It's my first ever cook book and I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited! I've always just looked online for recipies in the past. Or just made it up! The thing I love about Jamie Oliver is the simplicity and variety in his meals. You can always add your own twist and if you're missing something, there's always room for compromise. So over the next few months I'm going to make my way through Save with Jamie. I'll run through the recipies I've cooked and most importantly, I'll tell you whether or not I've actually been able to save anything on my weekly shop! Bon appetit!