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