Preserving Chillis

[charliebrown]

Morning All. My Chilli plants are starting to droop a bit now so im going to preserve the chillis in some way. Ive tried drying which workwed great on the window sill when we had some sun, but the last I tried just wouldnt dry properly. Tried in the oven on lowest setting but they almost roasted rather than dried and didnt look great. So im now thinking of chilli pastes, pickels, oils etc. Anyone got any good ideas on how to keep them through the winter?

Edited September 17, 2010 by charliebrown

[Spaniel]

Im going to pick mine next week and pickle them in white vinegar...think thats what i was told to use

[charliebrown]

Im going to pick mine next week and pickle them in white vinegar...think thats what i was told to use

 

 

Tidy Il give that a bash, thanks

[Beardo]

they freeze fine enough for most cooking needs

[PaulABF]

The one's i pickled in white vinegar 2 years ago are still fine. Nice heat too.

[Gully]

I use a needle to sew mine onto a thread and dry them in the airing cupboard.

[charliebrown]

I use a needle to sew mine onto a thread and dry them in the airing cupboard.

 

 

I tried drying them by the boiler but still they didnt go. Bit annoying really as the first few I did on the window sill were perfect, dry but not flakey and retained their colour really well. Might have to get a cheap dehydrator I suppose and give myself an excuse to make jerky as well.

 

Thanks Nick but Freezings just a bit boring, although I will do some. A cheffy mate of mine recommended blanching them, then finely chopping and freezing in Icecube trays.

 

Im also thinking of crushing a load in a pestle and morter with a little olive oil to make a paste to add to sauces, but im not sure wether to roast them first and how well it will keep in a jar.

[scout]

I just tie mine up on cotton and then hang them in the kitchen, they dru and lovely. Last at least a year like this.

[Peoown]

Stick em in a bag and throw them in the freezer. I've just done mine and their sound.

[Wookie]

Air-con, that's what you need... Most of my less lethal plants are at work and the A/C there does a cracking job of drying them out.

 

Other than that, a mate and I blended a load in the office the other week and put them in a tub. Lethal stuff, made people sneeze and sweat just by the particles in the air when we had finished. The blender still adds that little something to soups...

[holly]

stick em in the blender with a little drop of water then ice cube trays a tspoon of them blended dropped in the middle of a curry is magic

[Mungler]

I am liking the ice cube tray thing.

 

Will give that a spin.

 

I normally just freeze mine in bags and split off and thaw out as need be.

[happypig]

The ice cube thing is a great idea,

 

I use it to freeze left over wine into cubes which can be added to cooking when you do not have an open bottle to hand

[charliebrown]

Cheers all, They should have been done over the weekend but fishing was calling me so its been put off till tonight. Going to freeze about a third, pickle about a third and mash the rest in a pestle and morter with a bit of oil and stick into little jars as a chilli sauce.

 

Friend was telling me he had chilli ice cream in the states somewhere so that is my new mission, find a recipie and enjoy!

[Piebob]

Jamie Oliver has a good recipe for peppers and chilli chutney, and you can make it as hot or as meek as you like.

 

I've also dropped a few chillies into a bottle of sherry and it's now fiery hot! I add a drop or two into any recipe that has sherry and where I want a bit of heat, or take it along to a shoot and add it to consomme or other beefy soup as a winter warmer. Electric soup!

 

When defrosting chillies, just run them under the tap. A mate of mine decided to defrost his in the microwave for some reason. He overdid it and they vapourised/exploded in the microwave. The fan blasted out the chilli vapour and the whole family had to evacuate the house coughing and spluttering, eyes streaming, for a couple of hours.

[charliebrown]

Jamie Oliver has a good recipe for peppers and chilli chutney, and you can make it as hot or as meek as you like.

 

I've also dropped a few chillies into a bottle of sherry and it's now fiery hot! I add a drop or two into any recipe that has sherry and where I want a bit of heat, or take it along to a shoot and add it to consomme or other beefy soup as a winter warmer. Electric soup!

 

When defrosting chillies, just run them under the tap. A mate of mine decided to defrost his in the microwave for some reason. He overdid it and they vapourised/exploded in the microwave. The fan blasted out the chilli vapour and the whole family had to evacuate the house coughing and spluttering, eyes streaming, for a couple of hours.

 

 

Thats the sort of thing I would do.

 

Thanks for the chutney idea, thats exactly the sort of thing I had thought of doing. Any idea of a recipie?

[Piebob]

I used to detest the flabby-tongued one but I did a u-turn on him last year. Anyway - here is his chutney recipe. Made like this it isn't too hot but I guess it'll depend what chillies you use. I normally use a mix of mediums and hots. Next batch will be all hot chillies I think as I want more heat.

 

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-r...-pepper-chutney

[charliebrown]

I used to detest the flabby-tongued one but I did a u-turn on him last year. Anyway - here is his chutney recipe. Made like this it isn't too hot but I guess it'll depend what chillies you use. I normally use a mix of mediums and hots. Next batch will be all hot chillies I think as I want more heat.

 

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-r...-pepper-chutney

 

 

Spot on

[ziplex]

Try Nigella lawson's recipe for Chilli and Pepper Jam/Jelly........really easy to do and is very, very nice with cold meat or cheese. You will need a respirator for when it's cooking though as the chilli's and cider vinegar gets to your throat! Will last for ages in the fridge, unless like here it's gone in no time

[Doc Holliday]

With some of my smaller chillies I've popped them in a bottle of vodka, so I have a nice chilli vodka for my bloody mary's on christmas day morning. I've also put some of larger one which have lost their colour into veg/olive oil to spice it up. Have to confess, my jalepeno and apache have been some what lack lustre this year. Only had a few off each. Plenty of flowers on 'em but bees obviously don't like 'em. Slugs do, well on my big italian peppers. They look like a chilli on steroids. Only trouble is I haven't had any flowers on those ones yet.

[guest1957]

I have a bumoer crop this year so I have been pickling them for use over winter.

 

Method:

 

1) Put jars through dishwasher to ensure germ free.

 

2) Prepare chillis by either cutting into large chunks/rounds or by putting a slit in smaller fruits. Trim stalks down without breaking fruit on small ones.

 

3) Bring enough white vinegar (pre-seasoned sarsons) to fill the jar to a rapid boil.

 

4) Drop chillis in for 4-5 minutes. Remove, place in jars and pour over boiling vinegar.

 

5) Place unlidded jars in pan of boiling water for 7-10mins, then put on lid immediately.

 

6) Remove and cool, the jars should have sealed from colling with the lid on.