Hot stuff from the garden......

After my last post, and that picture of all my chilli's I was recommended a recipe for Chilli Jam by Paula over at Pod & Three Peas. It sounded intriguing, and here is the result. This stuff is hotter than Hades, but also has great additional flavour from the tamarind and fish sauce. I am trying it in a stir fry first up, and mixed with some yogurt as a dip.....

I am reading a really entertaining book at the moment, called The Fragrant Chilli by Micheal Bailes, an Australian "Chillihead" (his term) He talks about various varieties of chilli, their discovery and uses. They were discovered about the same time as tomatoes, but while tomatoes were initially thought poisonous, chilli's were adopted almost immediately as edible, and spread like wild fire (sorry) through the world. Quite why that first someone thought , lips burning and throat on fire, "oh lovely, that will go nicely with dinner" I cant imagine......but I am glad they did.

Visiting friends in Spain a couple of years ago Mr PK mistook a chilli in the garden for a sweet pepper, he grabbed it straight off the plant and took a mighty bite. Once his face actually started to change colour I suspected it was a hot one, but the sweating, coughing and general disagreeable moaning sounds confirmed it. Once I stopped laughing I did go and get him a glass of milk. Capsacin, the compound that makes chilli hot is soluble in dairy or alcohol, but not water, so don't swig a glass thinking it will cool you down, it wont...

To prove I am not a completely awful wife I picked up these delightful goodies at Delish Cupcakes on Saturday. These lovely ladies organised the Get Your Bake On fundraiser for the Christchurch Earthquake appeal, to which I was delivering Brownies. The event raised a whopping $6600, which is wonderful. Mr Sweettooth made a special request as I was leaving (still in bed) to "please bring home a cupcake". Red Velvet & Pinkie bar, who could resist really?