Blackberry Chutney

It's been a bumper year for blackberries and we've harvested them for weeks.  To try a new 'take' on preserving them, we used a recipe found in a Kilner jar we'd bought earlier in the summer.

The recipe ingredients are -

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cm root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 large red Chillies, finely chopped
1 lb blackberries
45g caster sugar
30ml red wine vinegar

We didn't have red chillies so used a whole, dried smoked chipotle chilli.  Also, we only had 11 oz of blackberries, so the ingredients we used to make our chutney were - a dessertspoonful of oil, 30g sugar, 2cm ginger, 20ml vinegar and a small red onion.

The blackberries were rinsed and drained.  Any stray tops or greenery were removed.

The oil was heated and the onion, ginger and chilli were added to the pan.  This was lightly fried for about 5 minutes until softened.

Next the blackberries were added and cooked gently until soft.

Adding the sugar and vinegar to the pan and the ingredients were mixed well.  The chutney was then brought to the boil and allowed
to simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened.







Whilst it was still hot, the chutney was spooned into clean, sterilised jars.

This is a speedy and simple chutney to make (taking about 30 minutes to cook in total).   As an accompaniment for a mature cheddar cheese it makes a change from the usual chutneys we make.

It looks lovely in special pots and, presented like this, would make a great foody gift.

Ginger and Orange Christmas Pudding

We were happy to take up the invitation to be part of StirUpSunday last week with Sainsbury's Bloggers.  They had a special recipe by Dan Lepard for those with dietary requirements (restrictions) which sounded appetising.  The recipe is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan and can be Nut Free if you omit the pecans.

The ingredients we used were -

100g dark brown sugar
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Valencian Orange Extract
50ml orange juice
75ml golden ale (we used Green's gluten free)
50g golden linseed (blitzed to a powder in our hand blender)
200g mixed dried fruit
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
100g pecans, chopped (leave these out if you want a nut free pudding)
200g glace ginger, chopped
50g plain flour (we used Dove's Farm Gluten Free Plain)
50g dairy free spread (plus more for greasing the pudding basin)
75g white bread, ground to soft crumbs (we used Genius Gluten Free seeded)

The linseed was blitzed ready for use and an orange was juiced.










The sugar, spices, orange extract, juice, ale and linseed were placed in a bowl before being mixed together (we used a hand mixer).  Next we added the fruit, grated carrot, pecans and ginger and stirred them through before adding the flour and mixing.

Having melted the sunflower spread, it was added to the sugar/spice mix together with the breadcrumbs.

Sous Chef J had used some more sunflower spread to grease the pudding basin which was then filled.

When the pudding basin was filled and levelled.

A layer of greaseproof paper, pleated in the middle,  was placed on top of the pudding and then the same was done with a piece of foil.

This top was held in place by using string to go round the top of the basin - it was also used to make a handle and then the whole pudding was placed in a large pan, on top of a jar lid, and the pan was half filled with boiling water.  The lid was placed on the pan and was checked regularly to ensure the pan did not boil dry.

After three hours of being steamed the pudding looked like this!

The pudding will be stored in a cool place before being steamed for a further three hours prior to serving.

Tomato Chutney

Our pot-grown tomato plants rewarded us with a good haul of fruit this year.  With the approach of Autumn and forecast strong winds, we needed to harvest and use them... so we decided to make chutney.  The recipe used was originally for just green tomatoes but we decided to make a mixed tomato version of it.

The ingredients used were -

1.8kg tomatoes, washed and chopped
675g onions, peeled and chopped
450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped (we used ready pureed frozen apples)
450g brown sugar
600ml cider vinegar
225g seedless raisins and sultanas
25g root ginger, bruised
tablespoon chilli flakes
2 teaspoons of salt

Having chopped and chopped and chopped the tomatoes and onions, they were placed in our huge chutney pan... the apple was also added, as was 300ml of the vinegar.  This was then cooked over a medium heat until the contents were soft (took about 30 minutes).

Using a spatula to mix the contents of the pan, we than added the fruits and place a bag containing the ginger and chilli into the pan (we attached ours to the pan's handle).  This was then mixed through and cooked for about an hour.

Once the chutney started to thicken, the sugar, remaining vinegar and salt was added. Stirring the chutney thoroughly, the chutney was brought up to simmering and left to thicken - stirring regularly to avoid burning/sticking.  (To remind us to stir the chutney, we set the timer for 15 minute)  It took about an hour for the mix to thicken.

The bag of ginger and chilli was removed and then we potted the chutney in sterilised jars, allowed it to cool and will leave for

the flavour to develop for at least 6 weeks before eating it.

We like to serve the chutney with cheese or spicy potato wedges.  If bottled in pretty jars, it makes a lovely gift - perfect for a foodie's Christmas!

Turkey Piquant

This is yet another long-standing entry from my well-thumbed recipe book.  I know it's been around a while as said recipe book was started to give me self catering ideas when I went to University many, many moons ago!

In my student days, it was a cheap meal to make and lasted me the best part of a week.  It requires basic ingredients and is good with either a jacket potato or rice as accompaniment.  I remember I used to add frozen peas to the rice mix when at Uni in a nod towards increasing my vitamin intake.

To make a panful, serving 3 with healthy appetites, we used

450g turkey breast, diced into even sized pieces
one bunch salad onions, washed and sliced
25g butter
2 Tbsp cornflour, seasoned
2 Tbsp redcurrant jelly
1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced (or 1 heaped tsp ground ginger)
One orange, juiced.

First of all, we added the cornflour to a bowl and seasoned generously with black pepper and a sprinkle of salt. We then coated the turkey pieces in the seasoned cornflour.  Whilst this was being done, we melted the butter over a low heat in a large saucepan and lightly cooked the sliced onions and ginger.

Next, the turkey was added to the pan and slowly browned over a medium heat.  Once it was browned, the redcurrant jelly was added, stirred through and gently allowed to melt.  Finally, the orange juice was poured into the pan.  The contents were mixed well, the pan was covered and left to simmer on  a low heat for 20-25 minutes.  (At this point you could transfer to a slow cooker to cook through and be ready later in the day)

Once the turkey was cooked through and the sauce had thickened it was served with a jacket potato.

It can also be served with wholegrain rice and peas.  This will make the amount serve 3/4 comfortably.

This keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days (ensure you reheat it thoroughly) or can be frozen (again defrost slowly and ensure it's heated through properly before serving.)

Brandy Snaps

Having wondered if Brandy Snaps could be made Gluten Free, I tracked down an old (scrawled on a piece of paper recipe from the depths of my recipe bundles) and found, happily, that there is very little flour required.   A little research amongst other foodie/gluten avoiders led me to believe it was possible to make Gluten Free brandy snaps so we set about our task.

As with many of the recipes we try, there were very few ingredients (in this case, just six) and so the required items were gathered and weighed... although we only made half the quantity listed in this recipe.  For a change, Sous Chef J and I made just one substitution in the recipe and this was to use Dove's Farm Gluten and Wheat free Plain White flour.

In a pan, we heated, gently, the sugar, syrup and butter until the sugar had been dissolved... this took about 15 minutes on a low heat.  Then the sifted flour and ginger were added and mixed in. Finally, a quarter of a teaspoon of lemon juice was added and fully combined.

Then four blobs (small amount) of the mix was placed on a silicone sheet which was placed in the pre-heated fan oven (170ºC) for 7-10 minutes. 

 When the snaps were done, they were taken off the baking tray (leaving them on the silicone sheet) to cool slightly before being shaped.  We used a the handle of a silicone brush for the traditional snap shape.

One larger basket was made using a bigger blob of the mix.  Once this was cooked and cooled very slightly, it was dangled over an oiled glass pot... will take some work to sort the technique but you get the idea.

Other baskets were attempted...  we liked our triangular shaped ones and, once they were cooled, some freshly whipped cream and sprinkles were added.

We are delighted at how snappy and tasty these are... really no difference from the gluten containing ones we remember.  They're such a success, we're going to make some for pals this week and hope they like them too.

A lovely Hallowe'en or Bonfire Night treat!